Polaris
by ShakespearesOtherSister
Summary: Three years after the war, Zuko receives an unexpected message. Post-war fic with minor series spoilers and lots of familiar faces. Unfinished and going to remain that way. So sorry.
1. Prologue

_It should come as no surprise that I do not own this verse or its characters. I only borrow and play, but I always try and put them back the way I found them. Sort of. No infringement of any kind intended. To anyone._

**Prologue**

There was a story his mother used to tell him about the stars. About how, once upon a time, a long, long time ago, a mother bear and her cub were roaming across the sky and became separated. The mother bear was beside herself with worry for, so his mother said, being separated from a child was the worst fear of every mother. She searched high and low, but days passed, and she could find no trace of her cub. Distraught, the mother bear roared and cried her frustration out to the sky. And when she was too exhausted to roar and cry any more, she lay down where she was. It was then, however, that she hit upon an idea. Gathering bits of dust from some nearby stars, she created her own star, one that was anchored to the heavens, and could never move, no matter how many times the sun rose and set. This star, she told him, was to light the way for the little bear. To bring him home to her.

"And did he make it?" he asked, "Did the little bear come home?" He could remember his childish outrage when his mother shook her head no.

"But she hasn't given up," she told him, "She's still up there. Waiting for him to come."

"But what if he never does?" he asked, and his mother had smiled.

"He will," she said, "He'll find her one of these days."

"How do you know?"

"Because a mother knows these things."

She'd hugged him, then. Kissed him goodnight and wished him sweet dreams, and he'd fallen asleep, mind filled with images of diamond-shaped stars in a black velvet sky.


	2. I

_Still don't own. Still broke. Still keeping it that way. No infringement intended._

**I**

The young man in the study shifted the papers in front of him and sighed. It was barely after sunrise, but the volume of documents needing his attention already seemed exponential. There were trade agreements, merchant contracts, diplomatic reports, and things that he could barely read for all the official jargon littering the paragraphs. It was not an auspicious start to what should have been a flawless summer day, and the knock at the door did nothing to alter his perception.

"Enter," he called.

The door creaked open, and a young guard stepped in.

"Fire Lord Zuko?" he said.

"Yes?"

"There is someone to see you, sir. I know it's early, but he said it is a matter of the utmost importance."

Zuko looked up from the monotony that was his desk.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"He did not give his name, sir, but he is dressed in the robes of the Order."

Instantly, Zuko's day became slightly more interesting.

"Send him in," he said, "And have someone bring up some tea."

"Yes, sir."

The door closed.

Zuko shuffled his papers aside.

The door opened again moments later.

Zuko did his best to hide his surprise when Master Pakku of the Northern Water Tribe stepped into his study.

"Master Pakku," he said, standing and dropping into a respectful bow, "I wasn't expecting you."

Master Pakku returned the bow. "Good morning, Fire Lord Zuko. Please pardon my intrusion."

"No intrusion," Zuko said, "An urgent message from the Order of the White Lotus is never an intrusion."

"Yes, your uncle said you'd say that." Pakku folded his hands inside his voluminous sleeves. "May I sit?"

"Of course." Zuko gestured to the chair opposite his desk. Master Pakku inclined his head in thanks as he settled himself down. "So I'm sure your guard mentioned to you I'm here on official Order business."

"He did, though he declined to say what sort of business."

"Yes, well that is because this is business of a very personal nature."

"How so?"

"Well..."

Master Pakku's answer was interrupted by the arrival of a server carrying teapot, tea tray and cups. On Zuko's nod, he left them on the end of the desk and excused himself from the room, leaving the two men to serve themselves.

Picking up the teapot, Zuko looked back at Master Pakku.

"You were saying?" he prompted.

"Yes," Pakku said, "I was saying that this is news of a very personal nature. It appears young master Fire Lord, that the Order has managed to discover the whereabouts of something you've lost."

"Really."

"Yes, sir."

"And what might this something be, Master Pakku?"

Master Pakku held out his cup as Zuko made to pour. "Your mother."

Shock sucked the breath out of Zuko's lungs.

"My mother?" he repeated.

"Yes," Pakku said.

"You've found her?"

"Yes."

All formality forgotten, Zuko leaned across the desk.

"What happened?" he demanded, "Where is she? Is she all right? Can I see her?"

Pakku held up his hand. "All in due time. There are a few things that you should know first."

"What? What kinds of things?"

Seeing the young man's shaking hands, Master Pakku, took the teapot and set it back down on the tray. "Well, first and foremost, we cannot bring her to you. We must send you to her."

"Fine," Zuko said, "I'm very willing to whatever is necessary in order to see her. If it means traveling, so be it."

"It's not the traveling that concerns me, Lord Zuko. It's where you are going."

Zuko frowned, "Why?" he asked.

"Because this is not a place that is going to be welcoming to someone from the Fire Nation," Pakku replied, "Especially not the son of Ozai."

Zuko's frown deepened. "I don't understand," he said, "It's been three years since the end of the war and I have more than proven that I am nothing like my father."

Master Pakku sighed, a sound that was somewhere between sympathetic and frustrated. "That may be true, Lord Zuko, but unless I am mistaken, your relationship with the Northern Water Tribe has been anything but cordial, has it not?"

"The Northern Water Tribe," said Zuko, "But if the situation involves the Northern Water Tribe that would mean..."

"...That your mother is at the North Pole," Master Pakku finished, "Yes. That is exactly what it means."

Icy tendrils slithered through Zuko's stomach. ""You're _absolutely_ sure about this? There is no possibility she's somewhere else?"

"Apparently not," Master Pakku said.

Zuko rested his elbows on the desk and pressed his hands against his temples. "Gods," he murmured, "How? Why? And why didn't you know about this?"

"I've been asking myself that very same question," Master Pakku assured him. "If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say it's because I was vehemently opposed to the idea of offering asylum to Lady Ursa. The possibility, you see, was presented shortly after your grandfather's death. I told our Chief, Arnook, that nothing good would come from harboring a fugitive of her standing, and that we should focus our efforts on staying as far out of the war as possible. Evidentially, he did not agree."

Zuko closed his eyes and exhaled. "So now what?" he asked, "We both know I can't go there alone, and that I definitely can't bring any sort of Fire Nation delegation."

"The Order has asked me to present you with their solution," Pakku answered.

Zuko looked up. There was a strange grimace on Master Pakku's face that he suspected might be a smile, but the man's countenance was so naturally stern, it was hard to tell.

"I'm listening," he said.

"All of us in the Order believe that you should be reunited with your mother," Pakku said, "And your uncle has the utmost faith that your leadership and diplomatic skills, but he fears these will not be enough. He asked me to remind you that you are no good at controlling your temper when you get emotional."

Zuko suppressed an irritated snort. "Perhaps," he said, "What does Uncle suggest I do to about that?"

"The Grand Lotus has recently initiated someone who he feels would be ideal company for you on your journey. Someone who can be both a personal escort and a diplomatic liaison."

"A babysitter? You're not serious."

"Not a babysitter. More like a bodyguard. This person has a lot of experience dealing with the Northern Tribe, but also the skill and strength to fight by your side should things go sour."

"I see." Zuko said. He rose and paced over to the window. The plaza stretched below him, polished and regal in the light of the morning sun. Zuko folded his hands behind his back. "How soon can this new initiate be in the Fire Nation?"

"Quite soon," Master Pakku said, "In fact, I believe he is already here."

Zuko turned. "Really," he said, "Uncle was that sure I'd agree?"

"Sure enough to send the summons the same day I myself departed to bring you this message. Which means our initiate should have arrived by last night. I believe Iroh reserved a room for him at the Capitol Teashop?"

Zuko looked that the old man a moment longer before turning back to the view below.

"Then I guess we will be paying a visit to the Capitol Teashop," Zuko said, and Pakku, behind him, inclined his head and smiled.


	3. II

_**A/N**__: You know, I entered into this project terrified that I would never be able to do the ideas in my head justice. But the further along I go, the more excited I get about what I'm producing. I hope, as things go on, you find you're enjoying yourself as much as I am._

_Oh yes. And don't own, never did, never will, no money changing hands. All in good fun._

**II**

The Capitol Teashop was a small establishment outside the western gate of the Plaza, owned and operated by a gentleman who had served tea to Zuko's grandfather during the heyday of Azulon's rule. Thus, when the old man opened the door, he immediately dropped into a deep bow.

"Fire Lord Zuko," he said, "It is an honor. What brings you to my shop?"

"You have a guest that I am interested in speaking with," Zuko replied.

The old man clasped his hands and nodded. "But of course, sir. Please. Come in."

Zuko and Pakku entered the building. The shop owner closed the door behind them.

"The guest rooms are all upstairs," he said, "They are mostly empty, I fear, but I believe the young man you are looking for can be found in the second room to the right."

"Thank you," Zuko said, "Please make sure my companion here is comfortable while I go and have a word?"

"But of course, your highness."

Master Pakku's eyebrow rose, but he didn't question as Zuko turned and proceeded up the stairs alone. At the top, the hallway divided, and Zuko could see the two rooms two the right. Only one door was closed.

He walked over and turned the knob, pushing it open.

As if on cue, an unidentified projectile whizzed out, smacking into the wall and shattering just inches from the side of his face.

"Identify yourself!" a voice demanded, "And if it's a fight you want you can have it!"

Zuko stepped into the frame of the door. "I need no introduction," he said, "And thanks for the combat invitation, but I think I'll pass."

"Oooooh," taunted the voice, "Aren't _we _cocky!"

A second projectile shot out of the darkness. Prepared this time, Zuko thrust his palm forward, and a controlled arc of flame caught the offensive object mid-flight, turning it instantly into a pile of ash. Zuko brushed aside the fluttery bits as they fell to the floor and called a second flame to his cupped hand. He held it aloft, where he was sure his assailant could see.

"Try it again and I'll toast you," he warned.

A shadow moved into his line of vision. He could see yet another weapon, this one raised over its head, fall to the side. Zuko waited.

A young man with shaggy brown hair stepped into the light.

"Oh," he said, "It's _you_."

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Were you expecting someone else?"

"Expecting, no, but you can't be too careful."

"Right," Zuko said, "Is that why you decided it was a good idea to attack a fire bender with a wooden boomerang?"

"The metal one it doesn't fit as well under the pillow," the warrior mumbled, and Zuko rolled his eyes.

"Spirits, Sokka," he said, "You haven't changed at all, have you?"

The young man opposite him folded his arms across his bare chest and gave him an indignant glare.

"I've changed," he said, "I'm taller, for one thing. I'd say the same for you except it's hard to tell if it's you or all that hair piled on top of your head. And by the way...ever heard of _knocking_ before you barge into someone's room?"

"I didn't realize that an Order member here on official Order business would need something as mundane as a knock to warn him of the Fire Lord's arrival."

"No, but a _friend_ usually knocks before barging into another _friend's_ room. It's common courtesy, or do manners no longer apply now that you're in charge of stuff around here?"

"Watch your tongue, peasant," Zuko said, "The Fire Nation has more civility in its jungles than you do on that block of ice you call home."

"Whatever," Sokka said, yawning, "If that were true, you would have at least apologized for waking me up."

"It's almost noon," Zuko said, "Why were you still asleep?"

"Rough night." Sokka said vaguely, "So, you're here which must mean Iroh got someone to delivered his message."

"He did. And I hear you will be escorting me to the North Pole."

"That's the plan. The Order seems to think you're going to need some protecting."

"The Order worries too much."

"That's what I said."

For a moment, both men faced each other without speaking. Then, Sokka reached out and clasped Zuko's shoulder.

"It _is_ good to see you, man. All joking aside, we all got a little worried when the letters stopped coming."

Zuko shifted uncomfortably. "Some things came up," he said, "And the next thing I knew, it had been almost two years since I'd heard from or seen any of you."

"Yeah, well, the girls were a little miffed, but Aang and I figured you had your reasons."

"I'm sorry. It wasn't personal."

"Yeah, we know." Sokka dropped his arm and turned towards the dressing table, grabbing his shirt off the back of the chair. "So. Your mom, huh? You must be pretty excited."

"I think I am," Zuko said, "It's a little hard to believe right now that I'm not dreaming."

"If what I heard from the Old Masters is true, you're definitely awake. And she's definitely there."

"Yeah." Zuko looked away. "Though it feels kind of strange...you having to be the one that goes through this with me."

"You mean because of what happened with my mom?"

"Yeah."

"Don't worry about it."

Zuko looked up. Sokka smiled. "If I didn't want to do this," he said, "I would have said no. But I know how long you've been looking. I'm honored to help."

Zuko smiled. "Thanks, Sokka. That means a lot."

"Yeah, well. Even I can sometimes put aside the sarcasm and have a serious moment." He tugged his undershirt down over his head. "How soon until we leave?"

"I don't know. I'd like to leave right away but Master Pakku seems to be in no hurry to give me the rest of the information."

"Pakku? Pakku's _here_?"

"How do you think I found you?"

Sokka wrinkled his nose. "Good point," he conceded, "All right. If Pakku's here, I better get ready."

"I'll meet you downstairs," Zuko said.

****

Downstairs, Zuko found Master Pakku and the teashop owner engaged in a lively conversation as they finished their tea.

"Ah, Fire Lord Zuko," Master Pakku said, "You've returned. I take it Master Sokka will be down shortly?"

"Yes," Zuko said.

"Very good." Master Pakku set his empty cup on the table. "There is a merchant ship leaving for the Earth Kingdom city of Huan Hai within the hour. You and Master Sokka need to be on it."

"Why Huan Hai?"

"Because it's a port city, about halfway between here and the North Pole. It's also a better place to find a ship bound for the Northern Water Tribe."

Zuko nodded, understanding. "I don't have my traveling clothes with me," he said, "I will have to have them brought from the palace."

"Actually, your highness, they were brought last night," the shopkeeper said, "A page delivered them and told me to keep them safe."

"Is that so." Zuko fixed Master Pakku with a steady gaze. "Your idea, Master Pakku?"

"Your uncle's," Pakku corrected, "I do not have the authority to have the Fire Lord's possessions moved without arousing suspicion."

Zuko pursed his lips but said nothing.

The shopkeeper, picking up on his annoyance, rose to his feet. "Allow me to get them for you, your highness."

"Please," Zuko said.

The shopkeeper bowed and hurried off.

While he was gone, Sokka came downstairs, a black traveling cape draped over his royal blue Order uniform.

"Grand-Pakku," he said, spotting the old master, "So good of you to come!"

"Indeed," said Pakku, clearly not amused by the use of Sokka's witty nickname. "I take it you had a good journey, Master Sokka?"

"Oh yeah. Rolled in last night. Had a nice, warm Fire Nation welcome and a great night's sleep."

"Fabulous," Pakku said.

"Yeah, so, I'm ready to take it from here if you...uh...have more important things to do."

"That's kind of you, but The Grand Lotus has charged me with getting you two off safely. So I will be doing so to the best of my ability."

"Oh. Ok." Sokka looked at Zuko and shrugged.

Zuko was saved from having to speak by the shopkeeper's return.

"Here you are, your highness." He held out a set of black traveling clothes, and Zuko was pleased to see that Uncle had even remembered to send for his swords. He took both and put them on, laying his heavier formal outer robes aside in a neat pile.

"Lord Zuko," Master Pakku said when he finished, "What would you like to do about your crown?"

Zuko touched the golden flame in his topknot. "I'll need to leave it," he said, "It's better that I have nothing on me that gives away my identity or rank given the delicate nature of our relationship with the Northern tribe." Grasping the gold pin, he pulled it free, allowing his hair to spill unkempt about his face. He handed both the pin and flame to Master Pakku. "Will you make sure it gets back to the palace?"

"Of course, Lord Zuko."

Master Pakku placed the item inside his robe. Zuko put up his hood.

They were at last ready to depart.

"I will accompany you down to the docks," Master Pakku said, "After that, you will be on your own. Remember, it is in your best interest not to share the details of your mission with anyone, for your own safety as well as that of the Lady Ursa."

Sokka and Zuko nodded.

"Good luck your highness," said the shopkeeper, and then to Sokka, "Keep him safe."

"You can count on it," Sokka said.

Following Master Pakku's lead, the two men departed the shop. They walked the short distance to the east docks, where a merchant vessel was in the final stages of being readied for its voyage.

"Go aboard with the crew," Master Pakku said, "Below decks you will find the room usually reserved for the captains wife just aft of the cabin used by the first mate. It's no palace, but it is only a little over a day's journey from here to Huan Hai. When you arrive there, send a message to your Uncle in Ba Sing Se so that we know you've made it. Wait for a reply, however, before you depart again."

Zuko nodded. "We will," he said, "Thank you for this."

"Thank me when it's over and the Northern Water Tribe hasn't drawn and quartered you," Pakku said, "Good luck."

Zuko and Sokka bowed and took their leave. The ship's crew was amassed on the shore, and Zuko and Sokka slipped in to the back of the crowd, boarding the ship as they did, invisible to any curious eyes. The captain barked orders as they scurried below deck to avoid any accidental encounters with officers. The ship lurch beneath them as they ducked into their cabin and the soft drone of the motors indicated that they had departed from the shore.

As Sokka closed and secured the door, Zuko went over to the small portal window and watched the shores of his homeland fade from sight.


	4. III

_Standard disclaimer still applies. Much love to R. and Elle for the hand holding and encouragement. You guys rock!_

**III**

"It must be weird from you. Being back on the water." Sokka, sitting opposite him on the floor of the cabin, wrapped his hands around his tin cup and blew on it to cool his tea. Disguised as a crewmember, he'd managed to smuggle two shares of the evening rations out to them, and they were now partaking in their meager meal.

"It's not so bad," Zuko said, "I like sailing and I like the ocean. It was the other circumstances of my exile that made things hard to bear."

"You know, you never actually told me how you wound up on a three-year mission to try and kill us."

"I didn't?"

"No. Not that I ever thought to ask..."

"Well, I probably wouldn't have told you back then, anyway." Zuko dunked his bread in his tea and took a small bite. "I wanted you guys to respect me, not feel sorry for me."

"So it was bad then?"

"It was pretty bad. If it weren't for Uncle, it would have been a lot worse."

"He always said he thought of you as a son."

"He was more of a father to me than my own father ever was. My father's the one that gave me my scar."

"Really?" Sokka said, "What happened?"

"I disagreed with his military strategies. That was my punishment."

"Seriously?"

Zuko nodded.

Sokka rested his cup on his knees. "Why didn't your mom intervene?"

"My mom was long gone when it happened. She disappeared when I was ten. For the longest time, I thought my father had killed her." Zuko looked toward the window where the first faint streaks of evening sky were visible. "But it turns out, she was an exile. Like me."

"You think things would have been different had you known?"

Zuko shrugged. "Maybe," he said, "But a father's love and approval is very important. You know that. Knowing she was alive might have made a difference, but I can't say I would have been wise enough back then to go look for her rather than embark on that fool's errand my father set for me."

"It would have made _our_ lives easier," Sokka said, "At least in the beginning."

"Too bad I didn't really care about most of your lives until it was almost too late."

Sokka snorted. "Ditto," he said, "I voted to leave you behind in the glacier _and_ in the prison in Ba Sing Se. But no. Aang wouldn't hear of it."

Zuko smiled and sipped his tea. They sat in silence for a few moments before Sokka spoke again.

"So let's talk about something less depressing," he said, "Tell me about palace life."

"Telling you about palace life isn't going to lighten the mood any," Zuko replied, "Why don't you tell me about Order training."

"If you insist. It's a lot of pomp and circumstance. And a lot of getting your butt kicked."

"Really. I'm sad I missed that."

Sokka shot him an un-amused glare. "Ha ha," he said, "Anyway. The whole process takes about three months from start to finish. You have to first go through a spiritual cleansing, and then you have your physical training, and at the end you have both a physical and written exam."

"I had no idea it was that involved."

"Oh yeah. The Order takes their initiation very seriously. There was another guy who came in with me. A bender from the Earth Kingdom. He left halfway through our week with Master Bumi. Said that if he wanted some old crazy guy chucking rocks at his head, he'd go live with his great grandfather."

Zuko snickered. "He does have a point," he said, "Although I suppose the Order wouldn't want someone who couldn't handle a few sessions with Bumi."

"Definitely not," Sokka agreed, "Though it really surprised me when he just up and left. We used to hang out all the time when we had days off. And I must say, there was about a month there when we were pretty notorious around Ba Sing Se." Here, Sokka gave Zuko a knowing smile. "Ladies _love_ a man in uniform, if you know what I mean."

"Er...yeah," Zuko said, "If there is one place we have common ground, it would be there."

Sokka raised a conspiratorial eyebrow. "Why Lord Zuko, are you hinting that there has been some impropriety in the court of the Fire Nation's highest ruler?"

"Uh, no," Zuko said, "Well, not in the way you're implying. In my case, the attention is usually not very welcome."

"Oh." Sokka's face twisted into a disappointed grimace. "Well, no matter. We can remedy that fairly easily. I hear the girls in Huan Hai aren't afraid to get their hands dirty."

"Oh, that's lovely, Sokka. Really," Zuko said, "But I'm not interested."

"What? Why?"

"I have my reasons." Zuko looked away and sipped his tea while Sokka stared at him, open-mouthed.

"Short of being a monk, what kind of reason could there _possibly_ be?" he demanded.

"Reasons good enough to keep me off that path," Zuko replied, "At least in my mind."

Sokka regarded him with stern gaze. "This isn't about Dagger Girl, is it? Because if you're worried I'll tell..."

"This has nothing to do with Mai," Zuko interrupted, "Who, for your information, found her own entertainment in Ba Sing Se several months ago."

"Oh," Sokka said, and Zuko bit down on his bottom lip in an attempt to assuage his anger.

"She left me after two years as my consort, claiming she had never had a chance to be her own person. And as if that weren't enough, she named Suki and your sister as two of the biggest motivators in her decision. She said meeting them made her realize she didn't know the first thing about being a woman, or about sacrifice, and she didn't feel it was fair to me to continue our relationship when she had so much more growing to do."

"Wow. She said that? Really?"

Zuko nodded. "So she went off to the university, hoping to find a hobby that didn't involve being noble and didn't involve me. She found one, of course. His name is Wei, and he's studying dragon reproduction so he can figure out how to bring the population back." Zuko dug his fingers into his cup. "I know I shouldn't be angry, but it's just hard to take, especially after she made the choice to come back to me at the end of the war."

Sokka rubbed the back of his neck. "Wow," he said again, "You know, if she'd talked to Suki a little longer, you probably could have kept her as a friend with benefits."

"No," said Zuko, "I'd rather it be like this. Sex would only complicate things." Placing his empty cup on the floor, he gave Sokka a hard look. "Repeat any of this, by the way, and I will singe you within an inch of your life."

Sokka held up his hands, "Hey, man. What's said in this room stays between us. I don't dishonor the Bro Code."

"Good," Zuko mumbled. "How _is_ Suki, by the way? This is the first time you've mentioned her."

"Suki's fine. She went back to Kyoshi when I started my Order training. Said she didn't want to distract me. I haven't seen her in a while, but...y'know. We have an understanding."

"I see."

A not-quite-awkward silence fell again and Sokka cleared his throat. "Right. Well. That conversation really didn't bring us to happier ground," he noted.

"Maybe we should just stop talking," Zuko suggested.

Sokka looked at him for a moment, expression unreadable, and then shrugged.

"That's fine by me," he said, "I'm feeling tired anyway. Didn't get much sleep last night."

"The reason for that wouldn't be Fire Nation girls who like to 'get their hands dirty', would it?"

Sokka smiled slyly. "Wouldn't you like to know." Stacking his empty dishes in the corner, he spread out his traveling cloak on the wooden floor. "Wake me when we get to Huan Hai."

"Sure," Zuko said. He toed off his shoes, and swung his legs up on the small wooden bed, leaning back to stare up at ceiling. It was a familiar sight, a metal canvas of nuts and bolts spaced out in regular lines, holding the iron vessel together.

Zuko looked at it for a long time before sleep finally stole his restless mind away.


	5. IV

_A/N: Randomness deliberate. Characters not mine in case you were wondering._

**IV**

They arrived in Huan Hai just before sundown the following evening.

"Nice place," Sokka said, casting an approving eye at a group of girls headed for an all-night tea shop, "You been here before?"

Zuko shook his head.

"Huh. Guess we'll just have to go exploring then."

Zuko fixed him with a stern look.

"What we need to do is get a message to Uncle," he corrected, "And find a place to sleep."

"Yeah, yeah, we can do that later." Sokka waved to a dark-haired girl in a red and gold tunic. "There's fun that needs to be had first."

"I don't want to have fun. I want to get in and out of here as quickly as possible so we can get to the North Pole."

"The North Pole's not going anywhere."

"Sokka, that's not the point!"

Sokka tore his gaze from the girl and looked at Zuko with something akin to pity.

"Zuko, we can't go anywhere until Iroh gets our message and sends one back. I understand why you want to rush, but half the fun of traveling is what happens between your origin and your destination. We're two men of importance in a new city. Let's enjoy it!"

"I told you, I have no interest in games," Zuko growled, "I'm going to find a courier and an inn. Are you coming with me, or are you going to stay here and play?"

Sokka sighed. "I'm coming," he said.

"Good," Zuko said. Pulling his cloak across shoulders, he started off down the street in search of a place to spend the night. Sokka plodded along behind, every once in a while casting a sorrowful glance over his shoulder at the group of girls slowly fading from sight.

The found an inn tucked away between a small textile store and a cabbage cart.

"This looks as good as any," Zuko said, "Let's go in."

"Wait," Sokka said, "You should cover your face, first."

"Why? There's no danger if someone recognizes me in the Earth Kingdom."

"No, but we don't want word to get out that the Fire Lord is in town, either. Pakku said to keep things discreet, remember?"

"Discreet? Is that what you call flirting with teashop girls?"

"Hey, I'm not the Fire Lord," Sokka said, "I don't have to worry about someone wanting to kill me because I happen to be the child of the worst warmonger in recent history."

Effectively silenced, Zuko looked at the ground and drew his hood over his tousled hair.

Satisfied, Sokka led the way up the steps and into the inn.

****

The innkeeper didn't recognize Zuko, but he did recognize Sokka's uniform, and that was enough to make him more than willing to give them the best accommodations he had available.

"Two suites with balconies," he told them, "Top of the stairs to the right. Each even has its own bathing chamber and garden view."

"Excellent," Sokka said, "We'll take them. And do you happen to know where I can find a courier? I have a message that needs to get to Master Iroh in Ba Sing Se."

"I would be happy to make sure that's delivered for you, sir. I have a messenger hawk out back that can take it right away."

"Good, good." Sokka fished a small bag of gold from his pocket. "Accept this token of our thanks for your generous hospitality."

"Absolutely, sir," the innkeeper said, eyes shining, "Please let me know if there is anything else you need."

"We certainly will my good man." Sokka collected their room keys. "Come along, Hoodie. Let's go see our new digs."

"Hoodie?" Zuko hissed when the innkeeper was out of earshot, "_Hoodie_?"

"I was improvising," Sokka said, "It was the first thing I came up with."

"It makes me sound ridiculous!"

"Oh relax, it's not like anyone is actually going to go around calling you that."

"Oh really? Sort of like how no one ever called me Sparky after Toph had _her_ flash of brilliance?"

"Oh, yeah," Sokka snickered, "She did get everyone calling you that, didn't she?"

Zuko gave him a sullen glare. Sokka snickered some more as they reached their rooms and he handed Zuko his key.

"Now no sneaking out," he said in a mock-paternal voice, "And no late-night parties, and _definitely_ no teashop girls!"

"Yeah. I'll try to remember all that," Zuko snapped, snatching his key. He unlocked his door and went inside without another word, leaving Sokka in the hall, still sniggering. Once inside, he removed his traveling cloak, tossed it onto the bed and walked to the window.

As promised, the room overlooked the garden. Zuko folded his arms on the sill, staring out over the dark greenery. He had no idea why, but something about being in an Earth Kingdom city put him on edge. Maybe it was residual memories from his days as a refugee, or maybe it was just the normal disorientation that often followed a journey into unfamiliar territory. Either way, his mind was running in restless circles, and he knew it would be a while before he would be able to settle down and get some much-needed rest.

He heard the door open behind him.

"I'm going downstairs to get something to eat. You want anything?" Sokka asked.

"No," Zuko said, "I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure? You've had nothing but tea and stale bread for almost two days."

"I'm sure."

"All right." He heard Sokka as he moved back into the hall. "Come down though, if you change your mind."

"I will."

The door snicked closed.

Zuko went back to brooding. Maybe it wasn't disorientation. Maybe it was irritation about being waylaid in his quest. Who knew how long it would take his uncle's message to reach them. Who knew how long he'd have to spend in this stupid city in a stupid disguise trying to stop Sokka from chasing girls. The thought of even just one more day of such nonsense made Zuko equally angry and depressed. He sighed, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes in frustration.

The door behind him snicked open again.

"I said no," Zuko growled, "What part of that did you not..."

"Your pardon, sir."

Zuko paused. It was the man from the desk, not Sokka as he expected. He smoothed his face into a more neutral expression.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else," he said, "What is it?"

"The man you were traveling with in the Order uniform wanted you to know he was going out."

"Is that so."

"Yes, sir."

"Did he say where?"

"No, sir."

Zuko turned back to the window.

"Thank you for letting me know," he said, "I'll be sure not to wait up."

****

Sokka looked like the bottom of a Fire Navy ship in dry dock when Zuko met him the next morning.

"Well," he said, the reigns of an ostrich-horse in each hand, "Someone had a good night."

"Night?" Sokka questioned, "You mean it's morning?"

"Yes, Sokka. That fiery orange thing just above the horizon is the sun."

Sokka looked blearily to the East.

"So it is," he conceded.

"While it was rising over an hour ago, I went and found an ostrich-horse dealer," Zuko said, "I thought they might make our journey through the Earth Kingdom easier."

"Journey? Through the Earth Kingdom? What are you talking about?"

"A return message arrived this morning from Uncle. We've been summoned."

Sokka rubbed his forehead. "That was fast," he noted, "Why do you sound so annoyed?"

"Because I am," Zuko replied, "Because it takes us close to three days out of our way on what is probably some ridiculous social call."

"Maybe it's not," Sokka tried, "I mean, it is Master Iroh. Maybe he has something important for us."

"I'm not holding my breath," Zuko said, "Now get on. We're leaving."

"What about breakfast?"

"I'm not wasting time eating breakfast."

Sokka folded his arms across his chest and eyed his friend.

"Zuko," he said, "This is starting to get borderline ridiculous and I'm putting my foot down. You are not embarking on a three-day journey without eating dinner _or_ breakfast."

Zuko, in no mood for banter, tightened his grip on the reins. "Oh really? And who exactly is going to stop me?"

"Who do you think?"

"That sounds like a threat."

"More like a promise."

The two men stared each other down. The horses, sensing the tension, nickered nervously and danced on the end of their leads. Passers-by in the street paused, glancing curiously at the spectacle.

Zuko dropped the reins.

"Well, let's go then," he said, drawing his swords, "You and me. Right now."

"You can't be serious," Sokka said.

"Oh, I'm very serious. Now draw."

"Zuko..."

"Only a coward makes idle threats, Sokka. Draw!"

Sokka's eyes narrowed. "You are such a little shit when you want to be," he growled, unsheathing his sword.

"But at least _I_ do not dirty myself by keeping company with tea shop girls!"

"That's because you wouldn't know what to do with one if you did!"

Enraged, Zuko struck. Sokka countered the blade with his own. They circled each other, swords crossed.

"If you give up now," Zuko growled, "I won't embarrass you in front of all these people by kicking your butt."

"Oh please," Sokka countered, "Like you even could!"

Sokka spun out of the hold and lunged. Zuko caught his strike and deflected it. Sokka lunged again. The angry clang of metal on metal echoed off the nearby buildings. Zuko leapt back and re-centered himself. He was about to launch an attack of his own when a shadow cast itself over their combat ground.

Both men paused.

"Well," said a new voice, "I can't say I was expecting to find the two of_ you_ in the middle of an early morning street brawl, but I did hear you were in the city."

Instantly, Sokka dropped his sword and fell to his knees.

"Master Piandao," he said, and Zuko lowered his weapons.

"Spirits, you people are everywhere," Zuko mumbled.

Piandao shrugged. "To a novice, I'm sure it seems that way, but this wasn't planned. I actually came here to watch the Kuai Ball tournament. However, it seems my purpose today is to play mediator." He turned to Sokka. "Master Sokka, please get up."

Sokka rose, but kept his eyes downcast.

Piandao folded his hands behind his back.

"If I were a different man, Master Sokka, I would probably scold you," he said, "For conduct unbecoming an Order member, but it looks to me like the two of you are in dire need of nothing more than a good meal. Do you see that tavern over there?"

Sokka nodded.

"The barkeep is a personal friend of mine. I saw him just this morning, and I'm certain he'll give you breakfast and provisions for your journey if you pay him a visit."

Sokka bowed. "We'd be happy to do that, master. Thank you."

"Good." The sword master turned to Zuko. "I trust you will be accompanying him, Lord Zuko?"

"Yes sir," Zuko said quietly.

"Excellent. By the way, my lord, your uncle asked me to remind you that we assigned this young man to help you, not to harm, and asks that you trust he has his reasons for his summons. I know it may seem like a bunch of time wasting nonsense, but the Grand Lotus does not act irrationally."

"Of course not. I'm sure there's a good reason for this."

"I'm sure, too." Piandao clasped his shoulder before turning up the street. "Oh," he said, pausing, "One last thing. I hear the only other Order member currently at large in the Earth Kingdom is Master Bumi. I would strongly advise against doing anything that might prompt him to get involved in your personal affairs."

"Yes, sir," they chorused.

Piando nodded. "Good day, young masters. Enjoy your breakfast."

Sheathing their swords, Zuko and Sokka watched Master Piandao disappear into the morning crowd.

"Ok, so...was it me or was that a little random?" Sokka asked.

"It was a little random," Zuko said.

"Ok. Just checking. Breakfast?"

"Yeah."

Without another word, they turned and made their way into the tavern.


	6. V

_Sorry for the delay. This is shorter than I thought, so it may integrate with another chapter someday. Maybe. We'll see. _

_Words mine, characters not. No infringement intended._

**V**

Piandao's recommended tavern was dusty and weatherworn, and populated only by the aforementioned barkeep, and an old man at a corner table enjoying some poached eggs.

"Good morning," the barkeep called as the entered, "You must be Piandao's friends. Have a seat, I'll be right with you."

Zuko and Sokka settled themselves at an empty table. The barkeep arrived moments later with large glasses of red liquid and pieces of parchment.

"Boysenberry juice, on the house. It is an honor to serve you, Lord Zuko."

"How did you know it was him?" Sokka asked.

"Oh, everybody knows the Fire Lord," the barkeep replied, "He's the first in a long time who's actually acting as a servant of his people. How's Lady Mai, Fire Lord Zuko?"

"Fine," Zuko replied, "May we get two bowls of the soup, two omelets and some rice?"

"Certainly, sir. I'll be right back."

The barkeep took the parchments back, leaving Zuko and Sokka alone.

"I thought there was no Lady Mai," Sokka said.

"There's not," Zuko replied, "But the world doesn't know that, and I don't particularly feel like telling them. I may be the servant of the people, but that doesn't mean they need to know _everything_."

"Discretion. I like it."

"More like self-preservation. Part of the Fire Lord's job duty is to keep a woman by his side and heirs in the royal nursery."

"What?" Sokka looked dumbfounded, "But you're only a year older than me! You have plenty of time for all that!"

"Not in my country. I'm supposed to be married by the end of next year." Zuko sipped his juice. "It's custom."

"But you're Fire Lord. Just change the custom."

"It's not that easy, Sokka. Laws and statutes are one thing. Customs are completely different. People get very unsettled when you start changing customs."

"Barbaric," Sokka said, scandalized, "What are you going to do?"

"Not worry about it any more than I have to," Zuko said, "And anyway, there seems to be no shortage of families willing to dump their daughters at my feet. A nice girl is bound to turn up sooner or later."

"Hm, I suppose that's true," Sokka said, "But if not, there's always my sister."

Zuko about spit his boysenberry juice across the room.

"What did you say?" he demanded.

"I said there's always Katara."

"Ok. That's what I thought you said. Where in Koh's name did that come from?"

"I dunno. You said nice girl. Katara's a nice girl."

Zuko stared at Sokka like he'd grown a second head.

"She's your sister," he said stupidly.

"Yes, I know."

"So you just offer her up as a sacrifice to any man looking for a date?"

"You're not _any man_. You're Zuko! And besides, she's probably the one of the only women in the world who could keep you in line. That temper tantrum you threw back there? She would have whipped you into next week."

Zuko set his mug down. "Gods above," he said, shaking his head, "It's actually official. You are truly, certifiably insane."

"Oh please. Stop being melodramatic. You can't tell me you've never considered the possibility."

"Oh yes, I can."

"Oh yeah? How'd you get that scar on your chest again?"

Thankfully, the barkeep chose that moment to return with their order. Zuko made a huge show of adding spices to his food while Sokka watched, smirking. Zuko thought he was in the clear until he realized that Sokka did not possess any semblance of refined, courtly manners, and had no problem talking while eating.

"Well?" Sokka pressed as he inhaled his rice.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Zuko scolded.

Just to torment him, Sokka opened his mouth wide, giving Zuko a much-too-personal view of half digested food.

Zuko pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. "You're disgusting," he sighed.

Sokka grinned. "All part of the Sokka charm."

The meal continued without further conversation or incident. When they finished, the barkeep returned to clear their plates. Zuko attempted to pay him for his efforts, but the barkeep waved his offer away.

"Serving men of your importance doesn't require payment," he said, "Now where would you like your provisions?"

"I guess just here at the table," Zuko said, "We can load them onto the horses ourselves."

"Very good."

The barkeep left. Sokka leaned back in his chair and picked his teeth. Zuko ignored him. The barkeep returned with a burlap sack. Zuko took it, and the barkeep escorted the two of them to the door.

"Off to an important meeting, Lord Zuko?"

"Something like that. Although I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention to too many people that you saw us here. This particular meeting is of a delicate nature."

"Certainly, Lord Zuko. My lips are sealed."

"Thank you."

The barkeep bowed. Zuko returned the gesture, and then mounted his horse. Sokka, after securing their food supply to his saddle, mounted and rode up beside him.

"Thanks for the food," he said, "I'll have to stop by again the next time I'm in the Earth Kingdom."

"I'd be honored to have you," the barkeep said, "Good journey, young masters."

"Farewell."

The two men turned their horses up the road.

On the western edge of the city they found themselves on a gentle upslope. In the distance, they could see the peaks of one of the Earth Kingdom's many mountain ranges.

"So," Sokka said, "Wanna hear about my night?"

"No," Zuko said.

"I went to that all-night tea shop."

"Good for you."

"Aw, c'mon. It's a good story! So I went there, right? And those girls? The ones from the road? Apparently they're professional Kuai Ball _spectators_ and all the players were buying them drinks and stuff. So then, we were sitting there and this big burly guy came up. I think he might have been related to the Boulder and was all 'you there!' So one of the girls jumped up on the table and everyone started yelling and then her tunic..."

"Ok, that's more information that I needed," Zuko interrupted, "I'm sure it was very entertaining. Let's leave it at that."

"You mean you don't want to hear what happened next?"

"No."

"But you're missing the best part!"

"I'm sure I'll survive."

Sokka frowned and looked back at the road ahead.

"You really are a monk, aren't you?" he said sadly.

Zuko gave Sokka a hard look from behind the edge of his hood. "What an interesting choice of words," he muttered, and kicked his horse into a trot.


	7. VI

_Disclaimer hasn't changed, in case anyone was wondering_.

**VI**

The house of the Grand Lotus sat halfway up the side of a mountain and was surrounded by gardens. Sokka and Zuko paused at the edge of the forest to admire the kaleidoscope of colors.

"Impressive, huh?" Sokka said.

"It's beautiful," Zuko agreed, "I can see why Uncle moved here."

"Wait until you see the lake," Sokka said, "I've seen my fair share of water, but this is something else."

"Where is that?"

"It's around the other side of that ledge over there. We'll probably have to walk because the terrain gets a little rough but..."

Before Sokka could finish speaking, huge walls of ice shot up all around them. Without hesitation, both men drew their swords and circled their horses so they stood back to back.

"State your business," someone demanded.

Zuko felt his palm tingle with the beginning of a flame. "We are a member of the Order and the Fire Lord, here on the request of Grand Lotus Iroh," he replied, "We mean no harm."

He heard feet alight on the ground just outside their prison.

"Really? You don't look anything like who you say you are. Why should I believe you?"

Zuko drew back his hood. "Because we have no reason to lie," he replied, "Let us pass."

For a long moment, nothing happened. Then, as quickly as it rose, the ice liquefied, melting into the forest floor with a quiet splash, and Zuko found himself staring into an extremely familiar pair of startled blue eyes.

His breath caught in his throat. But before he could say anything, Sokka jumped from his horse and ran towards their captor.

"Katara!" he yelled, engulfing the young woman in a ferocious hug, "It's you!"

"Sokka," she said, "I...what are you doing here?"

"Iroh sent for us. We're coming to see him."

"He did? You are?"

Sokka nodded all smiles. "We were in Huan Hai and he sent a message saying he want to see us. So we got a couple horses and rode out here. What are _you_ doing here?"

"I...we came up to train. It's a lot nicer than the South Pole, so I bring my students here from time to time for a change of pace."

"So the Southern water benders are here, too?"

"Yes."

Sokka clapped delightedly. "This is so cool!" he said, "It's like a mini family reunion!"

"Yeah..." Katara said. Her eyes went back to Zuko.

"I _really_ didn't expect to see you," she said quietly, "Hi, Zuko."

"Hi, Katara."

There was a long, long moment of stagnant silence.

Then, Katara turned away and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "So...um...I guess you two probably want to get up to the house, huh?"

"That's where we were heading when you ambushed us," Sokka said.

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry about that. We close the lake to outsiders when we train. It keeps everyone from getting distracted. I can show you the back entrance if you want. The trail's on the opposite side of the mountain, but it goes straight to the main pavilion. Iroh will probably be there now since it's about lunch time."

"Mmm, lunch," Sokka said dreamily, "You said the magic words, Sis. Let's roll!" He grabbed the reigns of his ostrich-horse and beckoned Zuko to dismount and do the same. Katara turned and began leading them back along the edge of the woods.

Their path took them up the side of the mountain and dropped them next to a building with an open courtyard. The men tied their horses to a tree while Katara slid open a set of heavy bamboo doors.

"This way," she said, gesturing for them to follow. They did, and found themselves standing in a large common room. In the middle, The Grand Lotus sat on a pillow sipping a cup of tea.

"Master Iroh," Katara said, "You have visitors."

The Grand Lotus looked up, and his face split into a delighted grin when he realized who stood in the doorway.

"Nephew!" he exclaimed, "Master Sokka! You've made it!"

"Hello Uncle," Zuko said, "It's good to see you."

"And you!" Iroh rose to his feet and walked over, embracing the young Fire Lord. "Did you have a safe journey? I hope the ride out here wasn't too grueling."

"We did and no, we managed the ride just fine."

"Excellent." Iroh turned to Sokka and bowed. "Welcome back to my home, Master Sokka. It has been several months since I've last had the pleasure of your company."

"It has, Grand Lotus. It is an honor to be back."

"Please, we have no need for formalities any more, Master Sokka. You may call me Uncle."

"As you please, Uncle."

Iroh smiled. "Master Katara, would you mind showing these two boys to their quarters while I get some lunch together? I believe the two pavilions in the fire lily garden are unoccupied right now."

"Certainly, Uncle." She beckoned for Zuko and Sokka to follow her once again. "Come on, boys."

"Men," Sokka corrected, "We're men now."

Katara looked back over her shoulder. "Are you?" she asked innocently, "I guess I hadn't noticed..."

Sokka made a rude gesture as soon as she looked away. Far too familiar with the rougher side of Katara's temper, Zuko made sure to put a comfortable distance between himself and Sokka as they left the main house and proceeded across the grounds.

On the way to the fire lily garden, they passed a number of people, some bending; some dressed in scholars robes, some quietly meditating. Zuko's curiosity got the better of him when a group of young Fire Nation boys spotted him and fell to their knees. He acknowledged them with a polite nod, and then turned to Katara.

"So this place," Zuko said, "Are there always this many people here?"

"At any given time, there are any number of people here," Katara said, "Master Iroh loves company, as I'm sure you know, and everyone is welcome. Any one from any nation can come here whenever they please to train or study or just make new friends. I've only been here twice myself, but I've heard all sorts of individuals have come by. Like just last week Iroh said he spoke with one of Aang's students."

"An actual air bender?" Sokka asked.

"Yes," Katara replied, "Her name is Yang-Chi. She's from the Earth Kingdom, but I guess her great grandmother was an Airbender. One of the few that made it out of the temples when the raids began. Aang was pretty excited when the Earth King contacted him to let him know there was an 10-year-old girl zooming around her parents farm."

"So Aang was here, too?"

"No," Katara said, "Yang-Chi came alone and left the day after I arrived with my students. I told her to tell Aang we missed him, though. And to come visit the South Pole soon."

"I didn't realize you and Aang were no longer in close contact," Zuko said.

Katara shrugged. "Aang has duties," she said, "To the world and to his race. With so much responsibility, he's never in one place for very long." She turned them down a tiny side path. "Here are your rooms."

Zuko looked around. The walkway split, leading to two pavilions that faced each other over a wild garden of fire lilies.

"I'll leave you to unpack and get settled in," Katara said, "When you're ready, just head back to the common room. Iroh serves most of the meals there. I can't make it to lunch because I have to get back to my students, but I'll see you at dinner?"

"Count on it," Sokka said, "Later, sis!"

"Bye." Katara turned and went back up the path. Zuko watched her retreating form.

"You planned this," he said, turning to Sokka.

Sokka shook his head with a grin. "Wish I could take the credit, but that was all Universe."

"You didn't mention that Katara wasn't...working with Aang any more."

"I didn't know it mattered."

"It doesn't. I just find it strange. They were...practically inseparable."

"People change." Sokka shifted his bag to the opposite shoulder, "And speaking of change, I know I've been traveling in these clothes for three days, but I'm starving. I'm just going to put this down and go straight back. You coming?"

"In a minute," Zuko said, "I want to clean up."

"All right. I'll meet you back there, then."

Sokka dropped his pack just inside his door and strode off. Zuko went inside the opposite pavilion.

He was pleasantly surprised to find the structure much more spacious on the inside than it appeared from outside. The bedroom was airy and open with a fireplace on one wall and a large, round window on the other. There was also a bathing chamber off to the right and bamboo bed that faced a mirror and dressing table.

Zuko set his bag down and took off his cloak.

Inside the bathing chamber, he found a copper tub and a smaller washbasin with some linens on the side. Taking one of these, he poured the water from the pitcher into the basin and heated it with his hand. He dipped the linen and set it aside as he shrugged out of his tunic.

It wasn't cold in the room but Zuko shivered as the warm water hit his skin. Still, he ran the cloth over his face and his neck, wiping away the grime that always came with heavy travel. The water turned misty grey as he rinsed, and then a darker grey as he did his arms.

When he reached his chest however, he paused.

The star-shaped burn had faded somewhat, but it was still there, an unmistakable flaw marring the area just below his ribs. His fingers trailed over it, remembering the impact and the way the world had turned a blinding shade of white. He remembered the sound of echoing thunder, and the vibration of running footsteps as he hit the earth.

Zuko's opposite fist closed around the washcloth, sending a streak of dirty water running down his wrist.

He wiped it away with a brisk flick, finished his bath, and left the room.


	8. VII

_Consider me disclaimed_.

**VII**

When Zuko reached the common room, the lunch array had already been set, and Sokka and Uncle were engaged in a lively conversation. They both looked up when he came in.

"Sorry I'm late," Zuko said, taking a seat, "I was cleaning up."

"No matter," Iroh said, "There is still plenty of food and plenty to talk about."

"I was just telling your uncle about Huan Hai," Sokka said.

"Were you."

"Yes. Master Sokka said he really enjoyed his visit to the port city."

"Oh I'm sure he did," Zuko said, serving himself some noodles, "He tells _me_ he met some nice young ladies at an all-night tea shop."

Iroh's eyebrows rose and then he laughed out loud.

"Is that so?" he said, "Well, Master Sokka. I can't say that's what we train you for, but I have always found the feminine attention to be a nice side effect of Order membership."

Zuko looked up, scandalized. "Uncle!" he exclaimed, "Don't encourage his behavior!"

"Calm down, Zuko, it's all in fun. I'm sure Master Sokka handled himself with the utmost propriety."

Zuko didn't even attempt to hide his disbelief. Opposite him, Sokka had the good grace to blush even as he replied, "Of course, Uncle" before stuffing his mouth full of spring rolls.

Still laughing, Iroh turned his eyes to Zuko.

"So, my favorite nephew, tell me about things in the Fire Nation! I have heard only good news, but I want to hear it straight from you so I know all the rumors are true."

"It is mostly good," Zuko said, "Our trading with the Earth Kingdom has really helped keep the economy stable, and our nation is adapting to living in a world at peace. There is, of course, some resistance here and there, but nothing that has required the use of force."

"Excellent," Iroh said, "That is what I like to hear. I am proud of you, nephew. You are every bit the ruler I'd hoped you would be."

Zuko felt his cheeks grow hot. "Thanks, Uncle. But I've had a lot of help. Aang's support was crucial during that first year."

"Of course it was. And your acceptance of his help was crucial, too."

Across from them, Sokka coughed.

Iroh looked over. "Do you not agree, Master Sokka?" he asked.

"About Aang? Oh no. I agree completely," Sokka said, "I just wish that acceptance of support could extend past the Avatar."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zuko asked.

"Well, let's be honest, Zuko. You're not really all that good at leaning on others."

Zuko's chopsticks stilled in his noodle bowl. "Of course not," he said, "I run a country. I'm surrounded by people that want things. The only person I can trust on a day-to-day basis is myself."

"Ok," Sokka said, "I'll take that. But you do realize that kind of thinking isn't going to work in this case, right? If there's one thing I learned from guarding Aang back during the war, it's that you have to trust your teammates with your life."

"I trust you," Zuko said, "Letting me die would create an international incident, so I figure you aren't going to do that."

"See, ok, that is NOT what I'm going for here," Sokka said, "We need it to go a little deeper than that. That's one of the reasons I asked Iroh if we could come by."

Zuko's eyes narrowed. "You did what?" he demanded.

Iroh held up his hand, a silent request to allow him to reply in Sokka's stead. "When Master Sokka sent the note to me by messenger hawk, he asked if I would mind bringing you two down here for a day or two," Iroh said, "He said you seemed very much on edge and he wanted my help getting you in the proper mindset for dealing with the Northern Water tribe."

Zuko was insulted. "So what, I'm a child now? I need to be reined in by my elders, is that it?"

"No, that's not it," Sokka said, "I just want to know that, when the time comes, we don't blow this. This is your mom. This is important stuff. I need you focused. I need to know we're on the same side."

Zuko grit his teeth. Recognizing the signals that indicated his nephew's temper was about to flare, Iroh once again stepped in.

"Nephew, are you familiar with all the reasons for the Northern Water Tribe's strong dislike of the Fire Nation?" he asked.

"I'm familiar with the raid," Zuko said, "Zhao's 'shining moment', or whatever it was that he called it. I was there."

Iroh nodded. "Yes, you were. But I also know you had your own purposes at the time. Are you aware that Zhao destroyed the moon spirit that night?"

Zuko paused. "Destroyed?" he repeated, "I know he did something to darken the moon, but then it came back out, didn't it?"

"It came back out because the daughter of the tribal chief sacrificed her life to bring it back out," Iroh said, "Princess Yue. She had been touched by the spirit as a child, so she could give back its life by giving up her own."

Zuko blinked. He glanced as Sokka, who was now poking at his food, then looked back at his uncle.

"Please tell me you're joking," he said.

"I'm not," Iroh said solemnly.

Zuko set his bowl on the ground.

"Why am I just hearing about this now?" he asked, "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"You didn't need to know before," Iroh answered, "And I had no idea it would eventually become this important. But it has and you need to know to understand that Chief Arnook's resentment of you goes beyond the actions of your nation. Princess Yue was his only child. His only 16-year-old child. If she were alive today she'd be nineteen."

Zuko started. "So she's...she was...the Water Tribe's equivalent of...me?"

Iroh nodded. "Exactly," he said, "But he doesn't have her. He lost her. And if that wasn't enough, nine years ago, he granted asylum to a woman from the Fire Nation. A woman fleeing to protect her then-ten-year-old son. A woman with whom he could sympathize because her son was the same age of his daughter. A woman who was doing exactly what he would have done if it came down to protecting that daughter."

Zuko's noodles tasted like mud in his mouth.

"And now that son will be reunited with his mother," Iroh went on, "In _Arnook's_ city. It is not the wrongs of a nation that he holds against you, Lord Zuko. It is the idea that you are a living, breathing reminder of what was taken from him by the very people to whom he showed great kindness."

Zuko shuddered. The afternoon sunlight, which had felt so warm against his back now felt harsh and prickly. He clenched his fists in his lap.

"He did know it would happen," Sokka said at length, "He told me after the siege that he'd seen it in a vision. He'd seen his daughter turn into the moon."

"Seeing it doesn't make it easier to bear," Iroh said, "Losing a child is a pain no parent can ever accurately describe, nor is it one that they can easily let go of. There's always that underlying guilt that if you had just done one thing differently, they'd still be with you. There are always the constant reminders."

Zuko pressed his face into his hands. "So now what?" he asked, "I was prepared for negotiations and possible agreements for reparations, but...not this. Not facing down a man who hates me on principle!"

"He doesn't hate you," Sokka said, "The Water Tribe doesn't hate. We can hold grudges for years, but we don't hate. It's not in us to hate."

"And there you have one of my many reasons for assigning Master Sokka to accompany you," Iroh said, "He is strong and brave and a well-respected Water Tribe warrior in both poles. He was with Princess Yue on the night of her death, and he is one of their own. If there is a way to reach out to Chief Arnook, it is through Master Sokka. All you have to do, Zuko, is let him help you."

Zuko raised his head. He looked at his uncle, then at Sokka, then back to his uncle.

"Just like that," he said.

Across from him, Sokka's posture went rigid.

"Yes," Sokka said, "Just like that. I told you before we left the Capitol that I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't want to, what more do you need? Do you want me to swear a blood oath?"

"Easy Master Sokka," Iroh said, "If anyone is responsible for Lord Zuko's fear of betrayal, it's me. I raised him during some of his most turbulent years, but I was so focused on turning him from the dark path that I never stopped to think about the emotional impact all his losses would eventually have on him. This is my fault. Let me take it from here."

Understanding the dismissal behind Iroh's words, Sokka stood.

"Thank you for lunch, Uncle," he said, bowing, "I think I will take this time to visit with some of your other guests."

"Certainly, Master Sokka. They will be glad to have you. Thank you for your company."

Iroh watched as Sokka exited the hall through one of the side doors. When he was gone, Iroh looked again at his nephew. "Zuko, what do you know of love?" he asked.

"Love?" Zuko said, "What does love have to do with anything?"

"Love is what makes betrayal hurt so much."

"Oh. Well, when you put it that way, I'm not sure I know the difference," Zuko said, "I don't remember a moment where the two didn't seem to be intertwined. Or one didn't eventually lead to the other."

"I know," Iroh said, "And I never took the time to show you that it could be otherwise."

Zuko looked at the older man, confused. "What? What are you talking about? You were the only one that ever loved me unconditionally. You and Mom."

"Perhaps," Iroh returned, "But where am I now? Not in the Fire Nation. Not by your side. I left you alone to repair a world that had been torn apart by one hundred years of war. I left a sixteen-year-old boy to shoulder a burden that could crush a grown man. And you have shouldered that burden admirably, Zuko, but what I really should have done was stay with you. Be your guide. Support you the way the last sane member of your family should be supporting you."

Zuko's chest felt tight, like someone was squeezing his rib cage against his lungs, and he dug his nails into his palms.

"I cannot undo my mistake," Iroh went on, "And I cannot go with you to the North Pole. But I chose Sokka to accompany you for a reason. Sokka is pure of heart and loyal. He will support you and stand by your side because he's your friend, Zuko. He wants nothing from you but for you to be a friend in return. Don't push him away."

Zuko swallowed.

"I think I'll leave you to your thoughts this afternoon," Iroh said, "Take some time to explore the estate and collect yourself. Join me again when you're ready."

Zuko nodded, and Iroh finished his tea.

The young Fire Lord stood and quietly exited the room.

****

He skipped dinner. No one seemed to notice. No one, that is, except for his uncle, who made sure tea and soup made it to his room. He ate a little, but found he had no appetite. It was the night of the full moon, and the looming lunar orb hovering just outside his window made Zuko restless in a way he couldn't describe.

Maybe it was because now, the moon was no longer just the moon.

Zuko ran his fingers through his unruly hair and went to sit by the fireplace. He hoped maybe being near his element would help quiet the strange humming inside his head. But after an hour or so, he felt just as on edge as before, and he sighed in resignation.

With sleep completely out of the question, he decided to take a walk.

Yue followed him, bathing him in her silvery light all the way down to the edge of the lake. Zuko looked out over the water. It was still as glass, pristine and undisturbed. He crouched down, tracing the tips of his fingers over the smooth surface and watched as the ripples broke up his reflection.

"Zuko?"

Zuko turned, and as he did, his eyes widened.

"Hey," Katara said, "You're kind of the last person I expected to see out here. What are you doing?"

Zuko felt a blush creep into his cheeks. She'd been training. He could tell. And in all the time he'd known her, he'd never been able to look at her in her training clothes without feeling horribly inappropriate.

"I can't sleep," he said.

"Oh," she said, "Funny. Me either. Full moons tend to make me restless." She picked up a towel from a nearby rock and rubbed it over the ends of her hair. "Were you coming out to train?"

"No," Zuko said, "I was coming out because I didn't know what else to do."

Katara stopped rubbing and let her arms fall to her sides.

"What do you mean?" she asked, and Zuko realized he'd probably said too much.

"Nothing," he replied, standing up, "I...I'm just talking. Don't listen to me."

"You spent a long time with your uncle this afternoon. Did he say something to upset you?"

Zuko flinched. "No, not really. I mean, he kind of did, but not...not how you probably think."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Don't get defensive," she said, "I'm just asking. You're out in the middle of the night and you came to the lake. That's just rather unusual behavior for a fire bender."

Zuko could have kicked himself. He scuffed the toe of his boot against the sand, digging a deep furrow. "Yeah," he said, "I guess it is."

They stood in silence for a moment. Zuko half expected her to leave, but she finished drying herself off, slipped back into her blue summer robe and seated herself on a rock.

He could feel her looking at him. It wasn't quite as bad as being contemplated by Toph, but it was close.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she replied, "Just waiting for my explanation."

"About what I'm doing here?"

"That, and what in Spirit's name happened to you. One minute we were facing down lightning bolts, the next you were off ruling your country without even a breath of a hint to me as to how you were."

Zuko blinked. "What?" he said.

Katara ignored him. "Do you know the lengths I went to to find someone who'd heard from you after Aang stopped bringing news? The entire South Pole thinks I'm crazy! And now, after two years of nothing, no communication and no visits, you show up here. With _my brother_ of all people!"

"I...uh..."

"What are you even doing out of the Fire Nation? You're Fire Lord for Koh's sake! Don't you have better things to do than mess around in Huan Hai?"

Zuko was at loss. She was sitting in front of him with her arms folded and her face pinched, scolding him with the most bizarre mix of honest anger and sulking jealousy.

He rubbed his forehead, bewildered.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't...I'm not...I'm out of the Fire Nation because there's something I need to do. And I'm with Sokka because the Order assigned him to protect me. Not for any other reason."

"I don't believe you."

"Katara..."

"You're traveling with Sokka because the Order told you to? And since when do _you _need protecting?"

"Katara let me explain..."

"I'm your equal, Zuko! I can match you _and_ best you. After all this time, don't you dare stand there and lie to me!"

"I'm not lying to you!" Zuko grit his teeth, the emotional nature of the past few hours leaving him too exhausted to hide behind his defenses. "Sokka's here because the Order found my mom and we have to go to the North Pole and Uncle wouldn't let me go alone, all right?"

She looked at him, stunned. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

"What?" he growled, frustrated.

"N…nothing," Katara stuttered, "I just…I thought…your _mom_?"

"Yes," he said, "My mom. She's alive."

He turned his back to her, looking out over the water again. He heard, rather than saw, her stand.

"That's...amazing news," she said, "Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"You must be happy."

"I am."

He heard the rustling of her robes and when she spoke again, her voice sounded more sad than angry. "Sokka…Sokka will do a good job protecting you. He's difficult sometimes, but his heart is in the right place."

Zuko looked back at her over his shoulder. "Family trait?" he asked.

Katara blushed. Standing only a few feet away, and with the moon at her back, she looked almost ethereal with her damp hair and pale blue clothes. Zuko felt his heart soften.

"Nobody deliberately left you out," he said.

Katara folded her arms.

"We didn't. And I didn't mean to ignore you either."

Katara looked away. "Don't say things you don't mean just to get me to forgive you."

"I never say things I don't mean. You know me better than that."

"Do I? Right now, I sort of feel like I don't know you at all."

Zuko sighed. "Look, Katara, I'm sorry," he said, "Everything got really overwhelming for a while, and I didn't write. I wasn't doing it to upset you. It was just...complicated."

"Yeah," Katara said, "I'm sure it was."

Too tired to fight her, Zuko let his shoulders sag.

"All right," he said, "I get it. I'm not changing your mind tonight." He walked toward, then past her. "I'm going to go back to my room. It was nice seeing you again."

She didn't answer.

"Good night, Katara." Zuko turned up the path.

He left beach without looking back.


	9. VIII

_Hello, most patient people. I haven't forgotten you. Mucho love to Elle and RV for the beta, and yeah, I still don't own or make money. If I did, I could afford to run my heat. _

**VIII**

Zuko awoke the following morning to the pull of the sun. It was just past dawn, and the light filtering through his window was still weak. Nevertheless, it spoke to his inner fire, rousing him from what had been a fit, but not restful slumber. Rubbing his hands across his eyes, Zuko climbed out of bed, dressed, and made his way to the common room.

He was surprised when he found the hall already full of people.

He was even more surprised when he realized Sokka was among them.

"Hey," Sokka said, coming up beside him. He was holding a plate full of food and looking much better rested than Zuko felt. Zuko picked up his own plate and walked over to the long buffet table.

"Hey," he replied.

"You sleep ok?"

"Well enough."

"You didn't answer my knock."

"What knock?"

"I came by last night. To apologize for being a jerk." Sokka took a cup and poured himself some tea. "You didn't answer the door."

A slight flush stained Zuko's cheeks. "I took a walk last night," he admitted, "To clear my head. You must have come by while I was out."

"Huh. Guess so. Anyway, I was also going to ask if you were interested in doing a little sparring today."

"Sparring?"

"Yeah. You know. Just for fun. It would give us a chance to unwind and have some uh...manly bonding time before we leave tomorrow."

Zuko served himself some rice and mulled this over. He _did_ always feel better after a work out. And it _had_ been a while since he'd used his swords against a skilled opponent.

"All right," he agreed, and Sokka grinned.

"Excellent," he said, "We'll eat first and then go see if any of the practice fields are open. But you should know that I have no intention of going to go easy on you. Fire Lord or not, you're goin' down."

Zuko felt his lips curl up into an echo of his friend's smile. "We'll see about that," he said, "I was trained by the best, after all. And I'm still taller than you."

Sokka shoved an entire hard-boiled egg in his mouth and glared at Zuko. "When I haf mah manwy growf spurt, 're guing to rget sayin' dat!" he declared.

Zuko observed, yet again, more of Sokka's meal then would ever be necessary.

"Right," he said, and went to go find an empty seat.

Conveniently enough, that seat wound up being right next to his uncle who was all smiles when he spotted him coming.

"Good morning, Nephew!" he called, "I trust today you are feeling more at peace with the world?"

"I'm fine, Uncle, yes," Zuko said, sitting, "Spending some time alone yesterday helped me think."

"Good, good. You and Master Sokka have worked things out?"

"Well...not exactly. But he did ask if I wanted to do some sparring today."

"Sparring? That sounds like a good idea." Iroh rubbed his beard. "Competing against a worthy opponent is a great way to find focus and work off negative energy."

"Yeah, I thought so, too." Zuko split his egg with his chopsticks and delicately nibbled at the white outside.

Iroh sipped his tea. "The practice field by the springs should be open," he offered, "It is a little bit of a walk, but the ground is nice and even. It would be good for sword practice."

"I'll have to let Sokka know we should head out there," Zuko said.

"Absolutely," Iroh agreed, "After, of course, you finish what's on your plate."

Zuko raised an eyebrow and looked questioningly at the older man.

Iroh returned his gaze, face stern.

"You are not eating enough," Iroh said, and Zuko immediately recognized the no-nonsense, paternal tone. "I know you didn't eat last night and Master Sokka informed me that your appetite has been lacking since your night in Huan Hai. A leader cannot afford to let his emotions dictate his eating habits, Lord Zuko."

Zuko felt his cheeks redden. "I'm not," he protested, "I just...It.."

"Finish your breakfast," Iroh said, "The practice field isn't going anywhere and I'm sure Master Sokka will wait."

Zuko sighed. With grudging reluctance, he picked up his chopsticks and set about finishing his egg and its accompanying bowl of rice.

Beside him, Iroh smiled and returned to his tea.

****

After consuming enough breakfast to satisfy both his uncle and his empty stomach, Zuko went back to his room to change into a lighter robe and get his swords. Sokka met him outside on their shared access path, and together they made their way to the field.

They spent the remainder of the morning and most of the afternoon taking turns advancing and defending. Zuko was impressed by the improvement in Sokka's technique and greatly enjoyed the newfound mental and physical challenge of keeping up with him. More than once, he found himself unbalanced, and more than once he had to make a last minute adjustment to keep from losing a match. It had been over three years since anyone at the palace had even managed to land a hit on him.

Sokka, he noted, had managed to land at least a dozen.

"Ok," he said when the sun had passed its zenith and moved west, "Ok. I think...I've had enough." He lowered his swords and wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. "You, you're pretty good."

"Told you," Sokka said, "And uh...thanks."

"You're welcome." Zuko walked over to where he'd left his shirt and shoes. He picked up a towel and ran it over his hair while Sokka leaned on his sword and took a long drink of water.

"You're pretty good, too," Sokka said when he finished, "I haven't fought anyone that hard since Order training. Not only that, I really learned a lot about you."

Zuko draped his towel over his shoulder. "Oh?" he questioned.

"Yeah. For example, I learned you to favor your left side when you're on the offensive."

"What? I do not!"

"Oh really?" Sokka took the hilt of his sword and pressed it into Zuko's side.

Zuko jumped back, glaring.

"Ow!" he growled, "That hurt!"

"Of course it did," Sokka said, "Look down."

Zuko looked. To his dismay, he realized that he did indeed have a circle of faint bruises covering the area between his ribs and right hip.

"See?" Sokka said, "Those are all the places I managed to land a hit when you were attacking. But on the other hand, I now know I need to stay to your right if we ever battle together."

"I guess so," Zuko acknowledged. He took a sip of his own water as Sokka gathered their stuff, handing him his shirt and shoes as they started for the path that would take them back to the main house.

"So what about me?" Sokka asked as they walked, "Notice anything you wanna point out?"

"Yeah. You talk too much," Zuko replied.

Sokka's smile disappeared. "I'm just trying to help!" he snapped, "You don't have to be rude!"

"No, I mean when you fight. You talk too much, and it's not half the distraction you think it is."

"Oh." They walked a little further. "But aside from that?"

"Aside from that, I would say widen your stance."

"Widen my stance. I can do that."

"Good."

A little further after that, they came around to the far side of the lake. Up ahead, Zuko could see a group of people in various shades of blue.

"Oh look, it's Katara," Sokka said, "Hey Katara!" He waved to his sister, who stood ankle deep in the shallows, surrounded by a flock of students. Katara waved back with a smile that faded as soon as she spotted Zuko over Sokka's shoulder.

Sokka, more observant that most people gave him credit for, noticed the change in her expression.

"You're fighting again," he said, looking over at his friend. "How are you fighting again? You've been in the same place for less than 48 hours!"

Zuko shrugged. "It's what we do."

"_What you do_? Zuko, you know how she gets, why do you provoke her?"

"I don't provoke her! She just manages to find fault with everything I say! Like last night. I tried to apologize..."

"Apologize for what?"

"For...I don't even know! She said I didn't write, and then said I was a liar and then she..."

Out of the corner of his eye, Zuko could see the water bending group going through their practice exercises, and Katara walking among them, correcting hands and stances.

He stopped.

Katara gripped a young girl's arms, moving with her to demonstrate the proper way to put force behind the motion.

Zuko dropped everything he was holding.

"You know what?" he said, "This ends here."

Beside him, Sokka made an alarmed, questioning noise.

"If you can learn something about me from sparring with me well...then she can too!" Zuko said. He turned toward the class, his eyes fixed on Katara. "I'll be right back."

Though he could see her pretending to the contrary, he knew she was aware of his approach. He knew by the way she drew up a tendril of water, wrapped it around her arm and stepped back from her student. In retaliation, he called a flame, and let it flicker and dance his palm.

Katara tensed.

Zuko kept walking, splashing right up into her personal space.

They stared each other down for a long moment before Zuko threw back his shoulders and assumed his best regal expression.

"You're coming," he said.

Katara's posture wavered as her face became a mask of confusion.

"You're coming on the mission," he clarified, "The _Fire Lord_ requests that you be ready to leave by morning so that his party will be able to reach the river before nightfall. We'll meet in the common room. Don't be late."

He watched understanding dawn, along with the uncertainty and he let the flame in his hand dissipate. Without another word, he turned, walking away as abruptly as he had come.

Sokka's eyebrows were practically in his hairline when Zuko joined him again.

"What the...did you...are you _nuts_?" Sokka sputtered.

Zuko let the ghost of a smile grace his lips. "Maybe," he said, "But why don't you stay to my right until we find out for sure."

****

He knew her curiosity would get the better of her. He knew she'd only hold out so long before succumbing to the desire to know. So he wasn't surprised when, after dinner, she suddenly appeared in his doorway, arms folded, frustration rolling off her in palpable waves.

"Why?" she demanded.

Zuko folded a spare shirt and tucked it into his traveling bag. "Why what?" he asked.

"Why am I coming? Is this your idea of bribery? You give me whatever I want so I forgive you?"

"No," Zuko said.

"Well then why? For three years you don't speak to me. For three years, you've hardly cared if I lived or died. Now, out of nowhere, you want my company. How does that work?"

Zuko set his laundry down and turned to look at her.

"First of all," he said, "It's only been _two_ years since we last spoke. Don't exaggerate. Secondly, if I didn't care whether you lived or died, explain to me how I got this." Zuko grabbed the sash of his shirt and pulled, letting the fabric fall open.

For the second time in as many days, Katara stared at him without speaking.

"I'm sure you remember where this came from," he said, watching her eyes flick back and forth between his face and the scar on his chest, "But in case you don't, trust me when I tell you it had an awful lot to do with you living or dying."

Katara continued to stare at him, expression unreadable, and Zuko could feel his heart hammering against his ribs. Though calm on the outside, he was well aware that this could blow up in his face at any moment. That their fragile, re-emerging friendship could shatter and dissolve, like the ice shards she'd hurled at his head more times than he could count.

He kept talking anyway.

"I told you before I lost touch with everyone because things got complicated. That tends to happen when you're running a country. But it doesn't mean I stopped wanting to be your friend and it doesn't mean I stopped believing in you as my equal."

He re-tied his shirt and turned back to his clothing pile.

"It does mean we have some catching up to do, but whether or not that happens is up to you. I'm asking you to come because you know how much finding my mother means to me. But I'm not going to force you and I'm not going to fight with you any more. If you don't want to come, don't come. The offer, however, is on the table, as is my friendship. Take it, or leave it, Katara."

There was a long, excruciating moment where she said nothing.

Then, finally, she said, "I'll think about it."

"Fair enough," Zuko said.

"I'm going back to my room now."

"Would you like me to walk you?"

"No, that's ok."

"All right."

Katara turned, stepping into the dark just outside the door. "Goodnight, Zuko."

"Goodnight, Katara."

It was not lost on Zuko that she didn't slam the door as she went down the steps.


	10. IX

_Warning: the following chapter may cause cavities and tooth decay. If it does, you're paying your own dental bill because I make no money from this. Also, it's not mine._

**IX**

Sokka met him in the courtyard, horses saddled and ready, as the last of the pink and purple dawn faded into the sky. He looked sleepy, and Zuko could only guess what he had gotten up to the night before. When he'd left him at dinner, he'd been in the company of several flirtatious Earth Kingdom girls, and hadn't looked like he intended to go to bed any time soon.

"Good morning," he said as he came up, "Tired?"

"A little," Sokka yawned, "You're alive."

"Of course I'm alive. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe that little manly display of Fire Lord-dom down at that lake yesterday afternoon?"

"Oh, that," Zuko said. He tied his bag to the back of his ostrich-horse. "Everything's fine. You have nothing to worry about."

"You sure about that?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Well...because she's not here."

Zuko paused. "But she's coming," he said.

"Is she?" Sokka asked, "When I went to her room to say goodnight, she wasn't packed."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"Except that she's not packed. And even if she were packed, she still has her students with her. Who's going to teach if she leaves?"

"I..." Zuko stopped, realizing for the first time how impulsive his invitation had been. "I...I don't know. I didn't think about that."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure Katara did." Sokka swung himself into the saddle. "If she couldn't come up with anyone to take over for her, she's not going to be too willing to leave. She's weird about stuff like that."

"Yeah. Of course," Zuko said. He put his foot in the stirrup and hoisted himself onto his horse's back. "I guess we should just go find Uncle then. So we can say good-bye and get going."

"He said he was seeing off a couple of scholars this morning, so he's probably next door at the library if you want to ride over there."

"Ok."

The two men urged their horses into a walk, taking them around the corner.

As Sokka predicted, Iroh was there, waving to the backs of two men robed in green.

He turned as he heard them approach.

"Ah," Iroh said, "You must be next. So many good-byes, and it's barely past sunrise."

"We have a task to finish, Uncle" Zuko said, "The early hour can't be helped."

"Of course not," Iroh agreed, "You have important business. However, there is something I'd like to give you before you go. Wait here."

The Grand Lotus turned for the common room building, disappearing through one of the side doors. He returned a moment later carrying something in the palm of his hand.

"You should take this," he said, holding it out to Zuko, "The Water Tribes are a people who face adversity head-on, and you shouldn't be ashamed to do the same."

Zuko blinked. The sun glinted off the gold crown in his uncle's hand. The very crown he'd left back in the Fire Nation five days ago.

"What's that doing here?" he asked.

Iroh looked at the object, then back at his nephew. "Well, it's yours. It's here so it can go with you."

"But..."

"Master Pakku brought it."

Zuko's head whipped around. Just past Sokka, hair in a loose cloud about her shoulders stood Katara.

"I'm sorry I'm late," she said clutching the strap of her bag, "I didn't want to leave without writing out my lesson plans."

"Ah, so Pakku has agreed to teach then," Iroh said.

Katara nodded. "And he'll be taking them back to the South Pole at the end of next week. Since it looks like I'll be busy."

She looked at Zuko and smiled.

Zuko found himself smiling in return.

"All right, well, that's everything I suppose." Iroh chuckled. "You know where you are going?"

"North," Sokka said, as Katara climbed up behind him, "To the river. We should be able to trade the horses for a boat and sail to the North Pole straight from there."

"Very good," Iroh said. He bowed to Zuko, and then to the Water Tribe siblings he said, "Take good care of my nephew."

"We will, Uncle," Sokka said, "I promise."

"Good-bye, Uncle," Zuko said, "I'll...I'll try to be back soon."

"Good luck," Iroh said, "Give Ursa my love."

Zuko nodded. The trio moved forward, passing Iroh and picking up the trail that would lead them into the northern forest. Before long, the old man and his home were lost behind them to a sea of thickening trees.

They rode straight on through the heat of the day, reaching the river under the cloak of twilight, and dismounting as they came up to a small village. It took some haggling, but eventually they were able to trade the ostrich-horses for a small, ocean-sound riverboat and some food.

By mutual agreement, they went aboard right away rather than stop in the town for the night, stowing their food and belongings in the small, below-decks cabin before assembling in the wheelhouse.

"It looks like it's steam powered," Sokka said, contemplating the small stove in the far corner of the room, "I wish I'd known that because we could have picked up some more wood."

"But isn't steam just water and fire?" Katara said, "We can just use bending."

"That's true," Zuko said, "The only reason we would need wood is to have something to create the heat. But I can do that."

"Well, yeah, you can," Sokka said, " But driving this thing via bending would require you two not to kill each other between here and the North Pole."

Zuko watched Katara's cheeks flush red.

"No one is going to kill anyone," she said with a scowl.

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

"Yes. And I'm also sure it wouldn't hurt for you to stay out of things that are none of your business!"

"Hey, I am just calling it like I see it. Because you do realize that if you blow up our boat in the middle of the ocean, we're pretty screwed, right?"

Katara's fists clenched. "I'll give you screwed," she growled.

Without thinking, Zuko stepped between them.

"It's all right Sokka," he said, "We'll be fine. I won't allow anything to blow up."

Sokka paused. He looked at Zuko for a long, contemplative moment, and then shrugged.

"All right," he said, "If you promise me no battling, then bend away. I'll take first watch."

"I'll come relieve you when we get to the edge of the mountains."

"Actually, you can't," Katara said, "I can bend enough water into the tanks to hold us, but you'll have to keep the heat pretty constant to keep us moving."

"Not necessarily," Sokka said, "The small supply of wood that we _do_ have should hold for a couple of hours. So, once we get going, Zuko can put the wood down and take watch. Then I can take the wheel and Katara, you can get some sleep."

"Right," Zuko said, "And then I'll wake Katara when we pass the mouth of the river."

"There you go." Sokka tucked his boomerang into his belt loop. " Ok, I'm off," he said, "Be good, kids."

He disappeared out the door.

Zuko and Katara looked at each other.

"Kids?" Zuko said.

"Yeah," Katara said, "Like he's one to talk." She looked around the room. "Ok, it looks like I'll be able to pull the water in through the window. You stay there and start heating once I get enough in the tank, ok?"

"Ok."

He watched her assume her stance. The graceful, fluid movements of her arms drew invisible circles in the air around them, and then the water came to her, a soft, flowing stream of bluish silver, curving sinuously through the window and into the small tank above the stove.

It was so different from fire bending, so much more graceful and dance-like. Where the strength in fire bending came from the breath, the strength in water bending came from the body.

It was impossible to watch and not to be mesmerized.

"Zuko? Hey, Zuko."

Zuko snapped to attention. "What?"

"Do you think that's enough?"

"Oh. Yeah. That's good," he said.

He turned toward the stove. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled, lifting his hand and letting the fire flow from his palm. There was a quiet hissing noise as it surrounded the tank and the water inside began to heat.

The boat took a slow chug forward.

"It's working!" Katara said, grinning.

"Yeah," Zuko said. He kept his hand steady, concentrating on maintaining the correct temperature. Across from him, Katara bent more water through the window, filling the tank as high as they dared without spilling.

The boat picked up speed, chugging and puffing through the dark waters.

They kept up their vigil for another quarter hour before deciding that they had enough momentum to relax. Katara sat down first, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

"It's so warm in here," she remarked.

"Well, that's kind of the nature of steam. To be warm." Zuko pulled his hand back and looked at her. "Do you need to go outside?"

"No, I'm all right." She ran her fingers through her hair, pulling it back into a fluffy ponytail at the nape of her neck. "What about you?"

"I've lived through nineteen Fire Nation summers. I'm fine." He sat down opposite her, his back to the wheelhouse wall. "Of course, I'll probably be the one complaining I'm cold two days from now while you and Sokka walk around like its nothing."

His words brought a small smile to her lips. "I'm sure we can find you a parka so you don't freeze to death."

"Thanks. That would be good."

"Yeah, no problem." She twisted her fingers in the hem of her dress and looked down. "So, um. About last night..."

"What about it?"

"I'm sorry for being such a bitch."

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "You weren't _that _bad, but it's all right. I did sort of back you into a corner."

"I needed it," Katara said, "After how selfish I've been acting, someone had to put me in my place. And it's not all that surprising that it wound up being you." She rested her chin on her knees.

Zuko rubbed the back of his neck. "Well. Um. I'm glad I could help?"

Katara smirked. "I'm sure some part of you got some personal satisfaction out of it. I mean, I know I would have." She sighed. "But anyway, I didn't mean it. Any of it. I know you care about what happens to me. I just...I missed you."

"Come again?"

"I said I missed you."

Zuko blinked, unsure of how to respond to such a statement. "Oh."

"I know what you're going to say," Katara went on, "I have a really funny way of showing it, right? That I could have just said as much and not been so mean?"

"No, actually. I...I was going to say that I kinda missed you, too."

Katara's eyes went wide. "You did?"

"I did," Zuko said, and as he said it, he realized it was true, "I...we went through a lot together."

"We really did."

"And we make a great team."

"We do, don't we?"

"Definitely."

He smiled. Katara smiled shyly in return, and then ducked her chin to hide her flushed cheeks. She wasn't fast enough though, and Zuko managed to catch the look on her face. It was a strange sort of dazed expression. Like she was seeing him for the first time. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it, so he elected not to say anything, looking instead out the window above her head.

"Oh," he said, "I can see the mountains."

"Already?" She turned around and sat back on her knees.

"Yeah." He stood up. "I should go relieve Sokka. And you should try and get some sleep."

"Right, yeah." Katara stood up too, and smoothed down her dress. "Don't forget to come get me when it's my watch."

"I won't."

"And make sure you grab a cloak or something. In case you get cold."

"Um...I don't think I'll need one, but if you insist."

They stared at each other for a long, awkward moment.

"Ok. Um. I'm gonna go," Katara said, brushing past him, "Be careful and, I'll see you in a little while."

"Yeah," Zuko said. He watched as her slender form disappeared into the dark. Then, throwing some wood to the fire, he made his way to the bow.


	11. X

_No own, no money, no sue_.

X

The next two days passed in a haze of rhythmic predictability. They ate, slept, steered and took watch in a circular pattern that allowed little time for meaningful interaction, but plenty of opportunity for introspection. As a result, Zuko didn't sleep much. His mind was too full of thoughts about what lay ahead of him.

It also didn't help that the further North they went, the longer the hours of daylight stretched. While this was great for watch, it wasn't so great for Zuko, who was having a hard time getting his inner fire to settle down and not tug him in a thousand different directions.

He mentioned as much to Katara the next time he went below to wake her.

"It's like this constant humming," he said, "I'm all...twitchy."

"That happens to me sometimes. That night at the lake, back at Uncle's? The moon was full and I was already keyed up and I just felt like I couldn't sit still." She swung her legs over the side of the bunk. "It was like being in a cloud of restless energy."

"Yeah," Zuko said. "Except mine's less of a cloud and more of a volcano."

He turned his back as she jumped down and started rifling through her pack in search of clean clothes.

"I guess I would feel the same way if we were going into polar night," she said, and Zuko heard the rustle of fabric as she, presumably, slipped out of her sleeping outfit and into her day robe. "Although it might not be so bad once we get there. If there's cloud cover, it should dim the sun at least a little bit."

"But it won't make it go away," Zuko grumbled.

Behind him, Katara laughed. "Well ok fine Mr. Pessimism. You look at the dark side and I'll stop trying to be helpful. By the way, I'm done if you want to turn around."

Zuko peeked over his shoulder. Fully dressed, she smiled at him as she plaited her hair into a long braid.

"The world will be glad to know the Fire Lord is still a gentleman," she said with a wink.

Zuko's cheeks burned. "Good manners are underrated," he mumbled, "Anyway, I uh...made sure the fire was going really well before I came down. You should be good until I trade off with Sokka."

"Thanks," she said, "And by the way, I wanted to tell you..."

Her sentence was interrupted by the sound of footsteps.

"Katara?" Sokka called.

"Yes?"

"We're coming up on the outer edges of the ice shelf. I need you."

"I'll be right up."

Katara grabbed her parka and slipped it over her shoulders.

"Do you want me to come, too?" Zuko asked.

"No," she said, "I should be all right. But if that changes, I'll come get you."

"Ok."

He watched her blue-clad figure as it disappeared into the sunlight before lying down on his bunk and folding his arms over his eyes.

More solitude was the last thing he needed right now. An iceberg or two would have been a nice diversion from the static in his head, and a little conversation would have been a welcomed break from the non-stop chattering of his inner fire. He'd never been one to crave companionship, but lately, the company of other people seemed to be the only thing keeping him sane.

The candles in the bunkroom flickered, a reflection of his restlessness. He could hear the water outside splashing against the hull, and he almost envied it. It got to be in a constant state of motion, unlike himself, who had a body that required rest. He wondered what it would be like to have that kind of freedom. The ability to move and change shape at will. The ability to soothe and heal and carry ships and travelers to any destination. The ability to be endless and unfathomable and the source of all life at the same time...

It was this combined ebb and flow of thoughts and tides that finally lulled him to sleep.

****

He awoke an hour or so later to near-silence. The water was no longer splashing, and he could hear the murmur of voices again as footsteps criss-crossed above him.

Zuko sat up and rubbed his eyes. These new sounds could only mean that they'd reached their destination and that Katara and Sokka were preparing, if not already seeing to, the docking of their vessel. And that he needed to be helping, not resting.

He crawled out of bed, reaching for the parka he'd discovered in his bag shortly after they'd set sail. It was a beautiful piece, deep burgundy with blue trim and a soft koala-lambs wool lining. The fit suggested Iroh had taken it upon himself to make sure his nephew was well-outfitted for his time in the north, and the thought brought a smile to Zuko's lips as he slid it on and headed for the mirror.

His hair, per usual, fell wherever it wanted, so it took a few tries for him to smooth it down and draw it back into its traditional style. It was far from perfect, but for doing manual labor, it would suffice, and he stumbled up the stairs and out into the brilliant polar sunlight, ready to assist.

Only there was nothing left to assist with. Aside from Sokka, who was on the port side tying off a mooring line, everything else had been taken care of.

"Why didn't you come get me?" he demanded, folding his arms, "I could have helped!"

"Zuko, it was your off-time. You weren't _supposed_ to help." Sokka tugged the rope, testing the security of his knot, and dusted off his hands. "Besides, Katara and I have docked enough ships to know what we're doing."

"Still, you're not here to wait on me. I don't want you getting in the habit of doing that."

"Sparky, chill," Sokka said, "It was one time! Besides, the last thing I want to be is your personal servant. Especially if it requires taking care of whatever is going on top of your head."

Zuko snorted. "It's _called_ hair. Where are we by the way?"

"We're inside the main wall of the city in one of the trading harbors. The sentries sent us down here. They said it was the safest place to put you while they alerted Chief Arnook of your arrival."

"Oh."

"They also suggested we stay on board for the night since they didn't have time to prepare any of the guest quarters in a manner suitable to house the Fire Lord. I said that was fine. We'll just need to go ashore and get some food because we're running pretty low."

"That's fine."

Sokka leaned back against the rail. "You know, for a group of people that supposedly hate you, they're being awfully nice."

"Well, it's bad form to welcome a representative from another country with hostility. I'm sure once things settle down, we'll get a better idea of how they really feel."

"Maybe. Or maybe Iroh and Pakku were wrong and Arnook is really ok with letting go of the past."

"Maybe. But I'm not counting on it." He turned as he heard footsteps behind him. "Hey Katara."

"Hey guys...oooh, Zuko. Hair." She made a face.

Zuko reached up. "What? What is wrong with my hair that everyone has to keep talking about it?"

"It's... all hippo-cowlick-y. Did you just wake up?"

"Yes. No. Are you saying I look like a hippo-cow?"

"No. It's just a...you know what? Never mind. Just come here."

Katara beckoned him over and he came, frowning.

She raised herself up on her tiptoes.

With gentle fingers, she loosened the tie and combed through the ebony strands, smoothing them into place.

"Now kneel," she said. Zuko looked at her like she was crazy.

"I can't reach with you standing up," Katara said with a hint of impatience.

To his left, Sokka snickered, but Zuko did as he was told, blood rushing to his cheeks as he found himself eye level with a part of her body he wasn't supposed to be looking at. Katara, however, paid him no mind, pulling his hair back into a ponytail and re-securing it in the band with a satisfied hum.

"There," she said, "Much better."

"Uh, thanks." Zuko said, "Can I get up now?"

"Please."

Zuko hastened to his feet, doing his best to ignore Sokka's very unsubtle giggling.

"I used to do Sokka's hair all the time when he first started growing it out," Katara said, "He was pretty hopeless, too, so don't feel bad."

"I wasn't _hopeless_, I was ten," Sokka countered, "And forgive me if I hadn't been braiding my own loopies since _birth_."

"Whatever," Katara said with a wave, "Don't hate on the hair master. And did I hear you guys say something about eating?"

"I was saying we should go ashore and get some food," Sokka said, "Since we're low on supplies."

"Is that safe?"

"Of course! Who's going to mess with two benders and a master swordsman?"

Katara and Zuko exchanged looks.

"I dunno..." Katara said.

"Well, I do, and I say it's fine." Sokka straightened. "You guys ready?"

"I guess. Lead on, fearless one."

Sokka did, descending down the gangway to the pier. Katara followed. Zuko came up on the end.

Once on shore, they set off in search of the nearest inn.

****

It was after dinner that Katara's earlier concern for their safety became a reality.

Sokka spotted them first, and he stopped dead in the middle of the street, almost causing Zuko to run into him.

"No way," he said.

"No way what?" Zuko asked.

Sokka pointed. Zuko followed the line of his hand, his eyes falling on a small group of Water Tribe men coming in their direction.

"You see the guy in the front?" Sokka asked. Zuko nodded. "That would be Hahn."

"I'm going to guess by your tone that he's not a friend of yours," Zuko said.

"No," Sokka affirmed, "Not remotely. But we have...history."

"What does that mean?"

"That means this could potentially get kind of ugly."

Zuko said nothing. The Water Tribe group continued to approach until they were in conversation range. Then they stopped, and the man in the front- Hahn apparently- folded his arms and twisted his lips into an unattractive sneer.

"Well, well," he said, "If it isn't the worst bodyguard in the history of body guards. How are you Soak-a? Are you _trying _to get the Fire Lord assassinated?"

Sokka glowered. "That's not funny, Hahn. And my business with the Fire Lord is none of yours, so just get out of the way."

"Whoa, hey, no need to get testy," Hahn said, "I was just asking. Just making a little friendly conversation."

He glanced over at Zuko. Zuko took a step closer to Sokka in a show of solidarity.

"We're not here to cause trouble," he said, "We're here on a political errand that requires me to speak with your Chief."

Hahn snickered. "Oh, don't worry, Fire Lord. We know all about why you want to speak to the Chief. Word is, you ran out of things to _do_ back home you need some _new material_. Am I right?"

A ripple of laughter followed his words.

Zuko's expression hardened.

"You don't know nearly as much as you think you do," he said, eyes narrowing, "And I don't like you tone. Please step aside. Now."

Hahn gave Zuko an insolent glare. "No," he said, "We will not. This is a public street. We can stand anywhere we want."

Zuko heard the hiss of Sokka's blade as it left its sheath.

"We're asking nicely Hahn," said Sokka, "Get out of the way and no one gets hurt."

"Oh, you're going to hurt us now? With what?"

"I'll show you what!" Sokka gripped his sword, ready to strike. But Katara's hand on his wrist stopped him.

"Hey, come on. This is stupid," she said, stepping between the men. "No one needs to hurt anyone, ok?" She looked at Hahn. "We just want to get back to our ship. Can you please let us pass?"

Hahn eyed Katara.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Katara," she replied, "The Fire Lord's other bodyguard."

Hahn blinked. "You're...you're his..." Hahn dissolved into laughter. The loud, cackling kind that made the hair on the nape of Zuko's neck stand on end.

"Bodyguard!" Hahn mocked, "Well isn't that cute! Looks like when his majesty gets bored of his harem girls, he trains them to protect him!"

Hahn laughed again, and Zuko felt his anger surge.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about her like that!" he yelled. Two long fire whips coiled out from each of his hands and he raised them, ready to thrash Hahn within an inch of his life.

The only problem was, Hahn wasn't there.

For a moment, Zuko was confused. But then, a terrified shriek made him look down, and everything became crystal clear.

The men hadn't disappeared. They were buried neck deep in the ice, and Katara was standing over them, the sole of her boot pressed to Hahn's forehead.

"First of all," she said, "I am _no one's _harem girl, so you take that back right now. Secondly, if you're going to call me something, it better be Sifu Katara, Master Water Bender of the Southern Tribe, get me?"

Hahn made a squeaky noise through chattering teeth.

Katara smirked. "Good. Sounds like we understand each other then. Now, we're going back to our ship. You have a nice evening, mkay?"

Katara flicked her wrist. There was a cracking noise and a loud splash, and the air filled with high-pitched screaming as the men submerged in a pool of arctic water. Katara, ignoring the noise, walked right by, eyes focused on the far dock.

After a moment of staring at the now-drenched group of frantically paddling Water Tribe men, Zuko and Sokka followed.

"Hey Katara?" Sokka said when they caught up, "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

Katara smiled. "No," she said, "Why? Were you meaning to?"

"I think I could stand to say it more often." Sokka slung an affectionate arm around his sister's shoulders.

Katara pushed him off with a laugh. "Yeah, well, save it for another time," she said with an affectionate smile, "Those guys had it coming."

****

Back at the ship, the trio went below, Zuko lighting the candles while Sokka secured the hatch. It was a tight fight with all three of them in the bunk space, and there were a few awkward collisions as they made their way to their respective beds.

"Weird having all of us below at once," Katara said, dodging Sokka as she hopped up onto the top bunk. "I'm so used to being down here alone, I didn't realize how small the space actually was."

"Yeah," Sokka agreed, "It's not made for three people, that's for sure." He wiggled out of his shirt, accidentally elbowing Zuko as he did so. "Sorry," he apologized.

"It's fine," Zuko said. He took off his parka and laid it across the bottom of his bed. Being on the opposite side of the cabin, his back was to his two companions as he slipped out of his shirt and shoes. He hesitated at his pants though, not comfortable being _that _undressed in mixed company and he peeked over his shoulder to see if his companions might share his sense of modesty.

As he should have expected, Katara did. She had changed into a long blue nightdress that covered her from shoulders to knees. But Sokka couldn't have appeared to care less. He was tucked into his bunk in nothing but a pair of blue under shorts, with his boomerang and flint stone resting on one bare thigh.

"So," Sokka said, "How long before Hahn starts spreading some stupid story about how he tried to befriend us and we tried to kill him?"

Zuko shrugged. "I don't know," he said, "He's your friend. You tell us."

"Enemy," Sokka corrected, "He's my enemy. And my guess is the whole city knows by tomorrow morning."

Katara, above him, unbraided and fluffed her hair. "I don't know," she said, "He did get his butt kicked by a woman. That couldn't have been good for his ego, so maybe he'll keep quiet."

"One could only hope," Sokka said, "But this _is_ Hahn and he _does_ like to run off at the mouth."

Zuko glanced back over his shoulder. "I'd have to agree with you there," he said, "Though I'm curious. What happened with you two?"

A heavy silence descended over the room.

Sokka's stone scraped across the edge of his boomerang with a quiet _shick_.

"Yue happened," he said, "Hahn was supposed to marry her. But he didn't."

"Because of the Siege?"

"Because of that." The side of the flint hissed against metal. "And me."

"What?"

Sokka cleared his throat. "I spent a lot of time with Yue while we were up here. And I really liked her. I think Chief Arnook knew that, too, because he assigned me to protect her during the raid. But then she turned into the moon."

Katara curled her fingers over the edge of the bunk and looked down. "You know the situation was out of your control. Without the moon, the entire tribe would have been slaughtered. You don't still blame yourself for that, do you?"

"A little." Sokka sighed with uncharacteristic melancholy. "I can't help thinking there had to have been a better way. That I should have _done_ something."

"Like what?" Katara asked, "Bring back the moon spirit? Even Aang can't bring a spirit back from the dead!"

Zuko sat down, folding his knees into his bare chest. "I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to bring it up."

Sokka shrugged. "It's all right. It's weird though. I still think about her. I wonder if I'd be able to talk to her if I went to the Oasis."

The room got quiet again.

"Well, I think the best thing for us to do right now is get some sleep," Katara said, "None of us have had more than four hours of rest at a time these past few days, and we need it."

"But we'll find time to visit Yue," Zuko added, "I'm sure if it works...she'd love to hear from you."

With a wave of his hand, the sconces dimmed leaving just enough light for them to find their way under the covers before he extinguished them completely. But because he did it so quickly, he missed the way Katara paused to watch him, a soft, grateful smile resting quietly on her lips as she tucked her hands under her pillow.


	12. XI

_Not mine, don't own._

**XI**

He awoke again to footsteps, this time ones he did not recognize. Zuko sat up. Between the dark cabin and the unnatural hours of sun, it was impossible to tell what time it was, but a quick glance across the room told him Katara and Sokka were both still asleep.

Which meant whoever had come to pay them a visit was someone they didn't know.

Slipping out of bed, Zuko dressed and went above.

He found a man in heavily furred blue robes waiting patiently near the bow.

"Fire Lord Zuko?" he asked as Zuko approached.

"Yes," Zuko said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the man said, "I'm Kanu, Captain of the City Guard."

Zuko inclined his head. "It's an honor," he said, "I appreciate you allowing us to come into the city on such short notice."

"I'm sorry we couldn't accommodate you better," Kanu said, "But we don't get many outsiders up here. Especially not ones of your standing."

"It's fine," Zuko said, "I'm not one of those men who needs the moon and the stars every time he travels somewhere."

"Ah. Well, that's good to know." Kanu regarded Zuko for a moment before he spoke again.

"Chief Arnook has conceded to meet with you this afternoon," he said, "But he has asked me to tell you he'd like you to come alone."

"Did he say why?" Zuko asked.

Kanu shook his head. "He just said that this was something he thought should be handled leader to leader, but that he will make sure the two delegates from the Southern Tribe are made comfortable in your absence."

Zuko processed this information. "I see," he said, "It's going to be hard to convince them to stay behind. They'll want an explanation."

"I know," Kanu said, "And I'm sorry I can't be more helpful. I can return here if you'd like. After I take you to the Chief. I can try to explain the best I can..."

"No," Zuko said, "That won't be necessary." He straightened his shoulders. "It would be rude of me not to honor Chief Arnook's request to come alone, so I will come alone. What time will you be returning?"

"I'll come back for you just after midday," Kanu said. He turned and walked to the gangway, pausing at the top to look back.

"I know you have every reason to believe you are not welcome here, but you should know that's not the whole truth," he said.

Zuko nodded but said nothing.

"Good day, Fire Lord Zuko," Kanu said, "Have a pleasant morning."

"Thank you. I will."

Zuko watched the man leave.

It was not until Kanu reached the other end of the gangway that he realized the warrior had come unarmed.

****

"Alone?" Katara's face scrunched in concern. "But why?"

"I don't know," Zuko said. He handed her the pin to his crown. She slid it through his topknot, securing the five-pointed flame in place. "The guard only said that he wanted to handle this leader to leader. And as a leader, it would be dishonorable of me not to trust him."

Across from him, arms across his thighs, Sokka pursed his lips. He had been unusually quiet since Zuko had told them about his conversation with Kanu, and his posture now radiated an out-of-character seriousness.

"Well, then, you guys will handle it leader to leader," he said, "And we'll just wait here until you get back."

"But Sokka," Katara protested, "What if..."

"What if what?" Sokka snapped, and Zuko felt Katara start at the odd curtness in his tone. "What if Kanu's a creep who wants to hurt him? We broke out of _a prison_, Katara. And he took down Azula. I'm not worried."

"I didn't say Zuko wasn't capable," Katara muttered, "All I'm saying is that I don't like us being separated. It feels weird."

"Chief Arnook is an honorable man," Sokka said, "If he wants to see Zuko alone, then there's a reason and it is apparently none of our business." He stood up, grabbing his parka from the bedpost and shrugging it on. "So in that case, I'm going out. I'll catch up with you guys later. Good luck, Zuko."

"Uh, thanks," Zuko said. He got to his feet, standing by Katara as Sokka left the cabin and the hatch slammed shut.

"What was that about?" he asked, once they were alone.

Katara bit her lip. "I don't know," she said, "But this really makes me nervous, Zuko. Are you sure this is all right?"

"It'll be fine," Zuko assured her, "Even unarmed, I'll be fine. Arnook knows I'm a fire bender. And besides, weren't you the one who said I didn't need protecting?"

"Yeah well, I said that when I was mad at you. It doesn't count." Katara sighed. "I suppose I could make my way up to the plaza..."

"To do what?"

"To be within screaming distance!"

Zuko tried not to smile. "Katara, it's ok," he said, "Really." He smoothed down the front of his parka. "Um, how do I look?"

Katara looked at him, eyes widening slightly as she took him in.

"You look...regal," she said, "Like a Fire Lord."

"Well, that would be the idea..."

Katara blushed. "I know," she said, "It's just...you've come a long way from being the bratty kid who chased me halfway around the world. I'm not quite used to it."

"You mean Aang," Zuko corrected, "I was chasing _Aang_ halfway around the world. You and Sokka just kept getting in the way."

"Of course we did! You wanted to capture and torture him!"

"Well, yeah but..." Zuko shook his head. "I thought it was pretty obvious even then that I never had the bloodlust of my sister or my father. I couldn't have hurt Aang. Or anyone else for that matter. It was all talk. I don't like seeing people get hurt."

Katara smiled and stepped a little closer.

"Yeah," she said, pressing her palm against his chest, "I know that, too."

Looking down, Zuko could have sworn all the air had gone out of the room. It wasn't so much that she was touching him, or that they were really, truly, undeniably standing very close together in a tiny cabin in the tiny hull of a rather small ship. It was the way her voice trembled, and the way she refused to meet his eyes, and the way both of these things sparked a bizarre surge of protectiveness inside him. Stronger even than the one that almost made him turn Hahn into a piece of charcoal the night before.

Unnerved, he cleared his throat.

"I should go above," he said, and Katara started as if coming out of a daze.

"Yeah, you should. Me, too."

"Where are you going?"

"I told you, to the plaza. And to find Sokka so I can drag him up there with me."

She stepped away and made a big show of fumbling with her parka while Zuko dimmed the sconces and opened the hatch.

"Why don't we just meet in the plaza when I'm done, then," he suggested, "Since it sounds like you're going to be there anyway."

"Ok." Katara followed him up the stairs and across the deck, stopping at the top of the gangway to look back.

"Be careful," she admonished, "And no matter what happens today, remember that we came here to find your mom. And we will."

Zuko smiled, touched by the show of support.

"Thank you, Katara," he said, "I'll see you soon."

She nodded.

Zuko tucked his hands into his sleeves and watched her walk away.

****

Kanu arrived as promised, just after what passed for midday. Zuko followed him from the ship through the plaza and then up a long flight of stairs to what appeared to be a large, open-air meeting space. The chief was there already, sitting on a slightly raised platform.

He stood as Zuko entered.

"Fire Lord Zuko," he said, "Welcome."

"Thank you," Zuko said, "It's an honor to meet you at last, Chief Arnook."

Chief Arnook smiled. "It's taken far too long, hasn't it?" He made a gesture toward a small mat of furs on the ground beside him. "Please. Sit and be comfortable."

Zuko ascended the platform.

By the time both men had resumed sitting positions, Kanu had melted from the room and they were, as promised, alone.

"I hope you will forgive me for separating you from your friends," Anrook said, "I wasn't sure how informed they were of the situation."

"They know the truth," Zuko said, "I didn't see a reason to try and hide it."

"I see," Arnook said, "I'll have to extend my apologies later, then."

Zuko said nothing. Arnook folded his hands and set them in his lap.

"So you've come for her," he said.

"Yes," Zuko affirmed.

"Who told you?"

"Master Pakku told me. He said the Order had been looking and they'd just now discovered her location. He also said you wouldn't be happy to see me."

Chief Arnook chuckled. "I suppose he would say that. My last words with Pakku weren't the nicest, but they certainly didn't have anything to do with you." The older man put his palms on his knees. "Why did he say I wouldn't be happy to see you?"

"He didn't really, but my uncle believed things would be strained between us because of what happened during the raid." Zuko shifted, the uncomfortable topic making him feel awkward. "I...I'm sorry about what happened to your daughter. I promise you, I had no idea Zhao would ever go that far."

Chief Arnook sighed, a sad, lonely sound that made Zuko wonder if he'd said too much.

"No one knew," he said, "None of us had any idea he would go so far as to destroy the moon. But I do know no nephew of Iroh would ever trifle with the spirits like that."

"No," Zuko agreed.

"I also I know you are not a killer, Fire Lord Zuko. You have your mother's eyes."

A lump rose in Zuko's throat, and he looked down at the ground, concentrating hard on keeping his emotions in check. "I haven't had anyone say that to me in a long time," he said.

"I imagine not," Arnook said, "But there is no mistaking that you are her son."

"I just hope I'm still a son she can be proud of."

A soft silence descended over the room. It wasn't awkward, but it was certainly heavy with unspoken words, and Zuko was at loss as to what to say next. This was even less what he expected, and he felt grievously unprepared. Almost juvenile.

"If you're wondering why no one ever told you Ursa was here, there's an answer for that," Arnook said at last, "And it has less to do with Yue than you have been lead to believe."

Zuko looked up.

"You do remind me of her," Arnook went on, "But the reasons for my silence are more than that. I admit, losing Yue did make me rethink my decision of sheltering your mother. But it did not turn me against your entire nation. And though I knew that rumor had started even before the end of the war, I didn't bother to correct it."

"Why?" Zuko asked.

Arnook smiled. "The Water Tribes are a very spiritual people. And as chief of my people, I must be able to communicate with the spirits. So not only did I know I would lose my Yue, I knew the part you would play in ending the war. And I knew if you had any reason not to play your part, the war would not end and the Avatar would fail."

Zuko blinked. "You...knew?"

Arnook shrugged. "I knew what the ideal scenario should look like. Visions aren't an exact science as I'm sure your uncle has told you. Free will can interfere and change things. But yes, I knew. And since the world needed saving much more than your mother, I kept her secret until a more appropriate time."

It was then that Zuko heard the echo of footsteps outside. His heart stopped. He looked desperately at Chief Arnook, who simply smiled and rose to his feet.

From the left of the hall, a figure entered. A woman, wrapped in a combination of blue fabric and furs. Because her eyes were downcast, Zuko could not get a good look at her face. But he didn't need to.

He knew exactly who she was.

He heard Arnook chuckle as the woman reached the base of the platform. "Nine years, Ursa, and you still keep to that habit of not looking me in the eye. You should know by now that we believe our leader to be a man like any other."

The Lady Ursa, for it was indeed she, looked up with an embarrassed smile.

"I'm sorry, Chief Arnook. You'd think I'd have forgotten all those old habits by now." She drew back her hood, and Zuko saw that her dark hair was now braided much the way Katara's had been when he first met her. Her eyes, though, were the same. Warm gold framed with thick, dark lashes.

It felt like someone was standing on his chest.

"What is it you wanted to speak to me about?" Ursa asked, "Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine," Arnook said, "I just wanted to let you know that your son was here to see you."

Anook gestured to Zuko with his hand and Zuko saw his mother's eyes widen in shock.

"My...son?" she whispered.

Zuko scrambled to his feet, his knees shaking so hard they could barely hold him.

"Y...yeah," he stammered, "I um...came in last night. T...to find you."

For a moment, his mother could only stare at him, as if she were waiting for the punch line of a joke.

Zuko's face fell. "Mom," he said, "It's me...It's Zuko."

Ursa kept staring, her fingers pressed against her lips, her face a mask of disbelief.

Then, all semblance of propriety gone, she raced up the short flight of steps and threw her arms around him.

Overwhelmed, Zuko could only hold her to him. She seemed smaller. Not fragile, just smaller, and it made his heart ache to realize just how much time had truly passed.

"Mom," he whispered.

"Yes. It's me." He could feel her tears on his shoulder and he gripped the back of her parka, afraid to let go. "It's me."

"I missed you," he said, "I missed you...a lot."

"I know. I missed you, too."

She was crying in earnest now, and Zuko was hard-pressed to hold back his own tears.

"I can't believe I found you," he said.

Ursa drew back and cupped his face in her hands. "Oh, Little Bear, I knew you'd come."

Zuko smiled a watery smile and wiped away a stray tear.

Ursa's fingertips traced across his cheek. "You look so different," she murmured, "I hardly recognized you. You're all grown up."

"A lot can happen in nine years."

"I know." Her thumb brushed his scarred eye. He watched as her mouth dropped into a little frown of concern, and realized that she didn't know about his banishment.

"It's nothing," he said to her unspoken question, "I...It stopped hurting a long time ago and I've almost forgotten it's there."

"Have you." The frown lines didn't leave. "What happened?"

"Nothing I..."

"Zuko."

Zuko looked away, not willing to see her face when he told her the truth.

"Ozai did it," he said, "When I was thirteen."

He felt her stiffen. "I see," she said, "I guess my protection only went so far."

It was at that point that Chief Arnook cleared his throat.

"I believe Kanu wanted me to go with him to inspect some new guard towers on the outer wall," he said, "So I'll have to leave you two to get reacquainted without me. Perhaps later I can send someone to take you to the guest quarters, Lord Zuko?"

Zuko and Ursa looked over.

"Actually, I have plenty of room in my house Chief Arnook," Ursa said, "He can stay with me if that's all right."

"There's three of us," Zuko said, "I...I came with friends..."

"I have room for all of you," Ursa said, "Don't worry."

She hugged him close. Zuko smiled.

So did Arnook.

"I have no problem with it if that's what you'd like to do, Ursa," Arnook said, "If it were me, I'd probably feel the same." He looked at Zuko. "I'm sure your mother's hospitality will surpass anything I could offer," he said wryly, "But while you're here, I'd love to discuss some ideas for reopening trade between our people."

"Yes," Zuko said, "I think we should." He and Chief Arnook bowed to each other. "And thank you, Chief Arnook. For...this."

"It's been my pleasure."

Chief Arnook left the hall. Zuko turned back to Ursa. She'd managed to get her tears under control and she was beaming at him, her eyes alight with motherly love.

"I don't know where to start," he said, "I..."

"How about we have some tea?" Ursa suggested, "Maybe we can go get your friends. I have some of those chai spice cookies that you used to like."

"Where did you get chai spiced cookies?"

Ursa smiled a mysterious smile. "From a lovely tea shop owner in the Capitol. He's the son of someone who was very good friends with your great-grandfather."

"Great-grandfather Sozin? Or great-grandfather Roku?"

Ursa looked at him. "Iroh told you."

Zuko nodded.

"I'm glad." She put her hand on his arm. "Come on, let me take you home."

They began walking to the exit.

"So, this teashop owner. How do you know him?" Zuko asked.

"He's a member of the Order of the White Lotus, and the only other person besides Arnook who ever knew my secret," Ursa said, "When I ran the night Azulon died, he took me in no questions asked. And he was the one to get a message to Chief Arnook asking if he would grant me asylum."

"Why did he pick here?"

"Because this was the one place the Fire Nation had never been able to touch."

They walked slowly down the stairs. Zuko's eyes were on his mother, so he didn't notice the blue streak racing across the plaza.

"I never thought about that," Zuko said, "But it's true. No one had attempted to touch the North Pole until Zhao's raid and..."

"Zuko!"

Zuko turned to find Katara, out of breath, her hair windblown and strewn about her face. She grabbed his arm, eyes wide and scared. "Zuko, I need you."

Zuko felt his stomach sink. "What? Why? What's wrong?"

Katara's voice shook as she replied. "It's Sokka."


	13. XII

_Sorry about the long cliffhanger. This is a busy time for me. But this story will be finished, don't worry._

_Not mine, no money._

XII

Zuko felt an icy chill steal over his skin.

"What do you mean?" he questioned. Katara was not one to get easily flustered. Nor was her brother one to get himself into a mess he couldn't get out of. Well...ok. Maybe _that_ wasn't entirely true. But Sokka was still an accomplished warrior. If something had happened...

"Is he ok?"

"I...it's...he..." Katara clenched her fists in frustration and shook her head. "It's bad, Zuko. I don't know what to do."

Zuko glanced over at Ursa.

"I..." he began, but Katara cut him off.

"Oh spirits above," she said, expression changing from distress to one of absolute horror, "Oh...Oh no, you're her." She pressed her mittened hands to her lips. "Oh I can't believe...how rude of me! Lady Ursa..."

Ursa smiled. "It's all right, my dear. We haven't been formally introduced, so how would you have known?"

She looked expectantly at Zuko, who immediately set about to rectify the situation.

"Mom, this is Katara," he said, "She's a friend of the Avatar and she's been traveling with me."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Katara. Is Sokka a friend of both of yours?" Ursa asked.

"He's my brother," Katara said, "He..."

"He's a member of the Order," Zuko said, "The one Uncle assigned to protect me."

"I see. Well, he's obviously very important to both of you."

Katara nodded, blinking back tears. Ursa looked back and forth between the two of them.

"Go with her, Zuko," she said, "I'll be here when you get back."

"But..."

"Go on." Ursa gave him a warm smile before nudging him toward Katara. "I'll let Kanu know to keep an eye out for you and to bring you by. Your friends need you, Little Bear. I can wait."

Zuko blushed furiously at the use of his childhood nickname.

"All right," he said, "I...we'll be back as soon as we can." He leaned in and kissed his mother's cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Ursa stepped back. Zuko turned, and he and Katara started off across the plaza to Sokka's aid.

*****

He was terribly unprepared for what greeted him at the end of their walk. It was strange enough, walking through the door of the Spirit Oasis, but it was positively creepy to walk in and find Sokka laid out next to the koi pond, still and pale as death.

"Agni help us," he whispered, "Katara what..."

"I don't know!" Desperation and fear made her voice crack. "I...he's alive. I checked him, but I don't know how he got here or why he's like that!"

"Ok, ok..." Zuko took a few hesitant steps closer. From where he stood, the situation looked pretty grim, and he could understand why Katara had been so flustered. Not only was Sokka looking lifeless, he was also clad only in a pair of lightweight blue pants. His parka, boots and shirt were strewn across the grass in a haphazard fashion, and it was these that Zuko approached, hoping for some insight.

"No blood," he said, holding up Sokka's shirt, "No cuts, no tears, no nothing."

"I know," Katara said, "There's no marks on _him_, either." She bit her lip and shook her head.

"What about inside?" Zuko asked, "Did you feel anything? Broken bones? Strange heartbeat?"

"No."

Zuko put the shirt down and walked over to his friend. Katara joined him, wringing her hands. Aside from the slight blue tint of Sokka's lips and the utter stillness, it was almost as if nothing was wrong. As if he were only in a deep sleep.

Except the rise and fall of his chest seemed too shallow, and Zuko didn't like the heaviness that gripped his heart.

"I don't know what to do," Katara said, "I...I can't heal him because I can't figure out what's wrong, but I can't just leave him!"

"I know," Zuko said, "And I agree we can't just leave."

"Y...you don't think a spirit took him, do you? That he did something or said something to anger them. Or that maybe Yue..."

"I don't think Yue would hurt him," Zuko said, "And if it was an angry spirit, I don't think they'd leave the body. When the Ocean Spirit took Zhao..."

"La took Zhao?"

"Yeah." Zuko shuddered a little at the memory. "I...I tried to help, but I couldn't reach. And then the water just rose up and the next thing I knew, Zhao was gone."

"Oh." He felt her step closer and lean into him. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It...it was beyond my control, and Zhao wasn't a very nice man."

"Still." Her warm weight pressed into his shoulder. On instinct, he lifted his arm and wrapped it around her back, drawing her closer. She came willingly, seeming to need the comfort.

"So, Sokka," she said.

"Yeah," Zuko said, "Do we move him?"

"I don't know. When Aang would go on journeys into the spirit world, we couldn't move his body or he couldn't find his way back. If that's where Sokka is, then we'll have to keep him here. So he can come home."

"I'm willing to wait if that's what you want." He absently rubbed her arm. "I mean, it can't hurt to be optimistic. He's got a strong connection to Yue. Maybe he actually tried to see her again and succeeded."

"Yeah," Katara agreed, "Maybe that's all it is."

They didn't speak about what they'd do if it wasn't.

****

Waiting turned out to be much harder than either of them anticipated. It started with them sitting side-by-side, staring at Sokka's supine form. But that proved to be too idle, and Katara soon got up to pace. From pacing, she went to bending, and before long, Zuko had joined her, blocking waves and melting elaborate ice patterns out of the air with random blasts of fire.

The hours stretched from afternoon to pseudo-evening.

Eventually, they grew too tired to continue and resumed their seated vigil on the grass.

"We may get a moon tonight," Katara remarked, picking absently at the grass, "Maybe if we do, I could try bloodbending you."

"What? No!" Zuko protested, "I don't want you crawling around inside me!"

"It's not crawling, it's just moving your blood!" Katara frowned at him, expression half-annoyed, half-amused. "It's not like I'd actually be touching you."

"But if you're touching me, I can _see_ that. If you're bloodbending me, I can only feel all...weird."

"How would you even know what it feels like if I've never done it?"

"I've watched you do it. That's enough. I don't need my arms twisted at uncomfortable angles."

Katara threw down a fistful of grass. "Fine," she huffed, "Forgive me for trying to distract myself!"

Zuko blinked, not thrilled about the prospect of spending the next few hours with Cranky Katara instead of Friendly Katara. "I didn't say you couldn't distract yourself," he said, "I only said I didn't want...never mind." He sighed and shook his head. "You're upset, I shouldn't take it personally."

Beside him, Katara's shoulders sagged. "I am," she said, "I'm sorry. I just...I thought he'd be back by now, you know?"

"I know." He went to say something more, but suddenly, she was back up against him, her head resting on his shoulder, her fingers creeping up to curl themselves into his parka. It was strangely awkward, her seeking out physical comfort from him. Not that she hadn't before, but something felt...different, as he put his arm back around her.

"It'll be ok," he said.

"You think?" She looked up at him, eyes sad, and Zuko didn't have the heart to tell her the truth.

"Definitely," he lied, "We've just got to be patient. After all, this is Sokka. He'd never go down without a fight."

"I hope not."

And then, as if just holding onto him wasn't enough, she actually crawled into his lap, curling into his chest and looking more vulnerable than he'd ever seen in the entire time he'd known her.

"W...what are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm making you hold on to me," she replied, "Because I'm scared."

"But you're never scared..."

"I am today."

That effectively rendered him speechless, and he patted her back, movements strange and unpracticed.

"I'm scared, too," he said, "But we can't give up."

"I know." He felt her sigh. "I just...he's my brother, Zuko. He drives me crazy and his socks smell awful, but I don't know what I'd do without him."

"You're not going to have to find out."

"How do you know?"

"I don't. But I do know I'm not giving up. And neither should you."

There was a long pause, in which Katara sat up straighter, her face resetting itself into it's usual determined lines.

"I'm not giving up," she said, "I...we'll keep waiting and if nothing happens, I'll see if the spirits will let me borrow some water and I'll see what I can do."

Zuko watched her as she brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "You really care about him," he said.

"Of course I do. He's a little rough around the edges, but he's got a big heart." She gave him a small smile. "I know it must seem weird when you have a sister like Azula, but Sokka and I have always been close."

Zuko shrugged. "It's not weird," he said, "Families are supposed to love each other. Azula and were just...not like that."

"I'm sure in her own way she loved you though."

Zuko snorted. "Azula didn't do love. She was very much like my father that way."

"Well then you must have learned a lot from your mother and your uncle, because I certainly can't say the same about you."

Zuko looked at her, a task that was slightly difficult given her proximity. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, Zuko. Once you got over being misguided, you turned into one of the most passionate, loyal people I know. Although, apparently your girlfriend noticed that about you a long time ago, since she was willing to take you back after you locked her in a prison cell."

Zuko winced. "Uh, yeah. I guess," he said, "Back then...that might have been true."

Katara tipped her head up. "Back then?" she repeated.

"Yeah, um. Mai kind of broke up with me. She...she called me a hobby."

"She called you _what_?"

Zuko's lap was suddenly full of fiery, indignant water bender and he almost fell over backwards when she shifted to her knees and looked him in the eye.

"It's ok," he said, "It's not...I'm ok with it. I mean, I'm not but I am and...please stop looking at me like that!"

"Like what? Like I think that's ridiculous?" Katara folded her arms. "Zuko, you don't call someone you love a _hobby_!"

Somewhere between his surprise at her indignation and his extreme discomfort over her outrage, Zuko's logic pointed out that his confession had successfully managed temporarily alleviate her anxiety over the still-lifeless Sokka. Of course, as wonderful as this was, he now had to calm her back down and bring the conversation back to a place of rationality.

"Katara, it's ok. Really. She said she felt, after so long, that she needed to find herself. Find out who she was and learn to be more independent. Like...you."

Katara blinked. "Like me? She tried to blame it on _me_?"

"No no no! She saw you as a...role model or something."

"Oh." Her face softened a little. "That's different. But it still doesn't excuse her calling you a hobby."

"I've been called worse."

"You deserve better!"

Zuko smiled. "Thanks for thinking so. But at this point, I'm probably going to have to be happy with a nice girl from a good family."

"Zuko!" She looked shocked by his words, and he realized that to someone like Katara, Fire Nation custom would probably sound very harsh. Still, she deserved an explanation.

"I have to be married by my twenty-first birthday," he said, "That doesn't give me much time to find someone I might love the way I loved Mai."

"But...but don't you want to marry for love?"

"Of course I do. I don't want someone loving me because they have to. I want someone loving me because they want to." He cast her a sidelong glace. "But everyone in the royal court knows that marriage is more political than romantic. And just because I'm Fire Lord doesn't mean I get to be the exception."

"That's horrible."

"Not if you think about it. A good leader puts the stability of people first before his own happiness. So that's what I'm doing. I'm putting my country first."

Katara picked at the hem of her parka. "You know if your uncle were here, he'd tell you that what you just said is complete and total bison shit," she said, "And that you should absolutely marry for love."

"Well then it's a good thing Uncle's not here, isn't it?" Zuko returned.

"But your mom is. Won't she think so, too?"

Zuko gave Katara a pointed look. "Mom knows better."

Katara sighed and threw up her hands. "Why do you always have to be so difficult?"

"I don't remember starting this discussion, so explain to me how I'm the one that's being difficult!"

"Because! You're sitting here coming up with a thousand reasons why you have to spend your life being miserable when you have the power to make yourself happy!"

"There's no guarantee I'm going to be miserable! I could be perfectly happy!"

"But what if you're not?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because I..." She stopped, as if catching herself in the process of saying something she didn't want to. Zuko looked at her intently.

Katara reached out and put her hand against his scarred cheek. "Because you should be happy," she said.

Zuko swallowed.

He wanted to speak. Really he did. But the words died on his lips. She was touching him. The side of his face. It brought him back to the moment eons ago when she offered to heal his scar under Ba Sing Se. When she'd touched him just like this, her warm, open nature overcoming all the superficial reasons they'd been pitted against each other in a conflict their great-grandfathers had left them to end. The difference this time though, was that she wasn't looking at the scar itself. She was looking at his lips, and he found he was looking at hers and the things going through his head weren't thoughts of freedom and acceptance, they were much more visceral.

He felt his breathing hitch as she leaned a little closer, her eyes now only half-open, and his heart jumped to his throat as he found himself leaning, too and...

He caught the flash of movement from just behind Katara's shoulder.

Without thinking, he paused.

"Sokka?" he whispered.

The moment shattered as Katara whipped around, her cloud of hair catching him across the face.

"Sokka!" she squealed.

Zuko rubbed his smarting eyes (Agni she had a lot of hair) as she jumped up, launching herself at the newly re-animated form of her brother, who had managed to sit up despite looking completely dazed.

"Katara, hey," Sokka said, "When did you guys get here?"

"Hours ago!" Katara replied, "We've been worried sick!"

"Oh..." Sokka blinked and then smiled. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just went to visit Yue."

"You went to the Spirit World?"

"Uh, yeah. Kind of." Fully awake now, Sokka looked over at Zuko. "I was on my way to the plaza when I got this sudden urge to come here. And when I did, Yue was waiting." Sokka's face split into an ear-to-ear grin and Zuko raised an eyebrow. He'd seen that look before. He'd seen it when Sokka had been telling him story of the Huan Hai teashop girls...

Realization hit.

"Oh for the love of Koh," Zuko groaned, and buried his face in his hands.


	14. XIII

_A/N: After a lot of thought, I decided to combine all the new stuff I've written with the last update to create on mega-chapter. It just worked better this way. Trust me, you didn't get robbed- there are actually 6 ½ pages added to the end of this now. Sorry it took so long. Still not mine, just borrowing. No money._

**XIII**

Katara looked up, her eyes shifting from Sokka to Zuko. "For the love of Koh what?" she asked.

"Nothing," both men chorused, and before Katara could speak again, Sokka hugged her, effectively ending her line of questioning by starting one of his own.

"So, Zuko. How did it go with Arnook? Did he tell you where your mom was?"

"Uh. Yeah. Actually, he had her meet me there. It was...good."

"And then I kind of dragged him away," Katara added. "But only because I was worried about you."

"You're always worried," Sokka said with an affectionate smile. "I'm fine, though, as you can see. Zuko man, that's great. I can't wait to meet your mom."

"And she'd probably love to meet you, too," Zuko said, "Except it's now the middle of the night. And my guess is she's already gone to sleep."

"Middle of the night?" Sokka blinked and looked up at the sky where Yue was shining faintly down on them. There was still the burn of red around the horizon line, but it was evident that true night was starting to come back. "I was gone that long?"

"Yeah, you were," Katara said. "It probably didn't feel like it though because there's no time in the Spirit World. What you thought was minutes was more like hours. Really long, really _worrisome_ hours."

Zuko did his best to hide his smile as Sokka looked indignant.

"Well time flies when you're having fun," he grumbled. "Sorry."

"I forgive you," Katara said. "But only because you're ok and I can water whip you for that later. Now come on, let's go. It's getting cold."

Katara stood up and dusted herself off. The guys followed, Sokka gathering and putting his outer clothes back on as they walked to the gate.

"Do you think Kanu's still going to be waiting?" Katara asked. "I know your mom said she'd tell him to keep an eye out but..."

"Maybe he put another guard in his place," Sokka offered, buttoning his parka. "Or maybe we'll be able to find our way back on our own?"

"No," Zuko said. "Katara caught us before we even left the plaza. I don't know where my mom lives. I wouldn't know where to start looking."

"Oh," Sokka said. He looked over at his sister.

Katara threw up her hands. "You looked dead! What was I supposed to do?"

Zuko put his hand on Katara's shoulder. "Don't worry about it," he said. "We'll figure this out."

Katara folded her arms and said nothing. They walked on.

As it turned out, they needn't have worried about Kanu. The guard captain was waiting for them, and escorted them without question to Ursa's home.

To Zuko's surprise, his mother was still awake, and she met them at the door.

"Mom," he said. "You waited."

"Of course," Ursa said. "I promised you tea." She smiled warmly at Katara and Sokka. "And since I've already met the young lady, I assume this must be Sokka?"

"Yes," Sokka said, giving her a bow appropriate for her station. "It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Lady Ursa."

"You as well. I hear my brother-in-law chose you personally to protect my son."

"He did. For an initiate, that was quite an honor."

"Well, you've obviously done a good job, and I thank you. Now all of you come inside. It's much too cold to be talking in doorways."

She turned and went into the house. Zuko, Katara and Sokka followed her through the curtained portal on the other side of the foyer and into a large open room. A fireplace covered the far wall, and Zuko could see a little copper teakettle steaming away just over the top of the flames.

The three of them seated themselves on the skins on the floor as Ursa passed out cups and poured for them.

"Can I help you with anything?" Zuko asked. "Is the fire hot enough?"

"Everything's fine," Ursa replied. "And tonight you are my guest, so please, just relax."

She set the kettle down and joined them. "Would anyone like a cookie?"

She passed the plate and they helped themselves.

For a brief moment, the only sound in the room was quiet chewing. Then Ursa spoke again.

"I only have one extra bedroom. I thought Katara and Sokka could share that and Zuko, you could stay with me? I can roll out an extra mat on the floor for myself and let you have the bed."

"No, Mom, it's ok," Zuko said. "I can sleep on the floor. It's fine."

"It's probably more comfortable than the bunks we used coming here," Katara said. "They were tiny. And hard."

"What kind of ship did you take?" Ursa asked.

"A steam ship," Sokka said. "Katara and Zuko powered it using their bending."

"Oh! You're a bender!" Ursa smiled. "Were you the Avatar's teacher, too?"

"She was," Sokka said, as his sister blushed. "She's a master, and a healer. She healed Zuko after he got hit with lightning during his fight with Azula."

Ursa paused, eyes widening a fraction as Katara and Zuko shifted uncomfortably in their seats. She looked over. "Your sister shot lightning at you?"

Zuko looked down at his teacup. "Not...exactly. She...shot it at Katara, I just...got in the way."

"You jumped in front of me," Katara corrected, "which was incredibly stupid. But we both know I couldn't have deflected an attack like that, so maybe it wasn't that all that stupid. And I got to you in time."

The room went quiet. Ursa resumed sipping her tea, but didn't comment further.

Finally Katara spoke. "Sokka, why don't we go to bed? I'm sure Zuko and Lady Ursa have a lot to catch up on."

"But I'm not..."

"Now, Sokka." Katara stood and bowed. "Thank you for the tea, Lady Ursa. And for letting us stay. If there's any way I can help you in the morning, let me know."

"Thank you, Katara. I appreciate that." Ursa returned Katara's bow with a tip of her head. "You should have everything you need in your room, but if you don't, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you. Good night, Lady Ursa. Zuko." Sokka stood and joined his sister. "Sleep well."

"We'll do that," Ursa said.

The Water Tribe siblings left the room. Ursa let the air settle a little before she returned her attention to her son.

"You _do_ have a lot to catch me up on," she said. "Scars from your father? Agni Kai with your sister? You've been busy."

"It was a long nine years," Zuko returned. It came out more bitter than he intended, but the truth was, he was still a little angry. He looked at his mother, who had set her teacup down and folded her hands. "And what about you? What have you been doing?"

"I've been here," Ursa said, "surviving the best I could in a foreign land. The Water Tribes however, are a warm and welcoming people. They've done a lot to ease my loneliness."

"I'm glad to hear that," Zuko said. He paused briefly and then added, "I never stopped thinking about you."

"I never stopped thinking about you either," Ursa said with a small smile.

Zuko wrapped his hands around his teacup and looked down into the amber liquid. "Please tell me what happened," he said, "Why did you leave like you did? Dad said you did treasonous things that made him banish you but I...I can't believe that."

Ursa heaved a heavy sigh. "Zuko, no matter what your father told you, I didn't do anything wrong. Your father was responsible for Azulon's death, not me, but somehow he convinced the Fire Sages that it the other way around. I left because there was nothing else for me to do. And because I thought that if I got away, I might actually have a chance of seeing you and your sister again."

"So...you didn't want to leave us behind?"

"Of course not! I would have taken you with me if I could. But the man that helped me, the teashop owner, advised against it. When I made it to his shop that night, he told me I had to keep going. That I couldn't go back. That taking you both would be viewed as even further defiance of the Fire Lord and that it would make us all hunted criminals. It killed me to hear it, but he was right. I was better off leaving you where you were."

She reached out and touched his scarred cheek. Zuko didn't shy away.

"Chief Arnook told me he knew that I would wind up helping the Avatar. That he didn't tell me where you were sooner because he was afraid I wouldn't do my part to end the war. Did you know that, too?"

Ursa shook her head. "I'm no seer, Zuko. I knew you were special, but I had no idea you'd play such a large part in ending the war. Though I have to say, I'm proud of what you did."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Zuko swirled his tea and watched it spiral around the cup. "So now I have to ask," he said. "You obviously heard about Ozai's defeat and my ascension to the throne. You know I would have reversed your banishment. Why didn't you try and come back after the war?"

Ursa gave him a pained look. "Because I had other things I had to consider, Little Bear."

Zuko stiffened. "Like what?"

"Like another person."

Zuko felt an icy chill slither down his spine. "Another person?" he demanded. "Who? A man? Is it Arnook?"

"No, no. It's nothing like that. As strange as it may seem, I loved your father. I would never take another husband."

"Well then who? Who held you back?"

Ursa sighed again, eyes pleading with him to understand. "Your sister," she said.

"What? Azula?"

"No, Zuko. Your...other sister."

Zuko felt like someone had kicked him in the stomach. "W...what are you talking about?" he whispered. "What other sister?"

"The one I found out I was carrying when I arrived here."

Zuko was dumbfounded. Pregnant? His mother had been _pregnant_? "I...you...how..."

"I told you I loved your father," Ursa said. "You're old enough to know how those logistics work, aren't you?"

Zuko blushed furiously, and jerked away as Ursa reached out to place her hand over his.

"Plenty old enough," he muttered. "You would have known that if you'd been around."

He immediately regretted his words when Ursa flinched.

"I'm sorry," he said. "That was a terrible thing to say. I didn't mean it like that."

"No, you did," Ursa said. "But I should have known you might still be angry." She looked down at her hands. "But angry or not, Zuko, you have another sister. Oku is the daughter of myself and your father."

Zuko frowned. Ursa continued to talk.

"She was born eight months after I left, which made her six when the war ended. Not terribly old, but not a baby either. I worried about transitioning her. Not only would she have to leave the only home she'd ever known, she'd have to take her place as a Fire Nation princess. I feared would be too much for her. I wanted to wait. I wanted to see, too, if the Fire Nation accepted you as their leader. Because if they didn't, to come home would be to put her right in the heart of some very real danger."

"I would have protected you," he said. "Both of you. You're my mother, and she's my..."

"Your nine year old sister."

"Yes." It was still such a hard concept to wrap his mind around. "And I could have kept you safe. I would have made sure no one hurt you!"

"I know that, Little Bear. But it didn't seem fair to put you in a position to have to protect two other people when you had enough of a mess to clean up already."

Her words settled heavily on the quiet room. Zuko took sipped at his now-cold tea.

"It's late," he said at length. "I think...maybe we should go to bed. Talk more in the morning."

"All right." Ursa rose first, taking Zuko's cup and placing it basin by the hearth. Zuko himself extinguished the fire, staring at the dark embers long after Ursa had left the room.

*****

He woke to the feeling of being watched. Not in a menacing way, but in a way that was intent enough for him to be aware. Rolling over in his sleeping skins, Zuko visually searched the room...

...and found himself face to face with a pair of very curious, bright, gold eyes.

Surprised, he sat up. The owner of the eyes, startled by the movement, squeaked and attempted to hide herself behind a mound of covers. But given that they were on the floor, and doing so did little more than give his covers a strange, blue lump, the hiding wasn't very effective and Zuko peered over at the young girl, trying to think of something to say.

He finally settled for, "Um...hi."

The girl looked up. "H...hello," she said softly.

"I'm...uh...Zuko."

"I know." Her round eyes still trained on him, she sat up and pulled her knees into her chest. "I heard you talking to mom about me last night."

"Wait...you're Oku?"

"Uh huh."

Zuko looked at the figure in front of him. She was dressed in traditional Water Tribe robes, and her long, black hair was drawn into a braid. Little, black hair loopies graced her cheeks, and yet there was no mistaking she was a child of Ursa and Ozai. Had his mother not told him of her existence last night, he would have sworn he was having another spirit-dream. The structure of her face was a mirror of her mother's and the pallor and texture of her skin was almost identical to his own.

"I wasn't expecting to see you this early," he said at length. "Did...uh...did Mom send you in?"

"No." Oku crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap. "I came in on my own. I wanted to meet you."

"Oh."

There was a long moment of awkward silence, during which Oku seemed to study him with a strange mix of awestruck curiosity and shyness.

Finally she burst out with, "Will you teach me how to bend? The lady in the kitchen says you're a really good fire bender."

Zuko blinked, completely unprepared for such an assertion. "She did?"

Oku nodded. "She said you taught the Avatar. And if you taught the Avatar, that means you can teach anyone, right?"

"Um...I guess it does..." He looked at her curiously. "You don't bend?"

Oku shook her head. "No. I tried a couple times, but nothing happened. I thought maybe it was because I wasn't around any fire benders. Mom said it was just because I wasn't ready. But everybody else in our family bends, so I have to be able to, right?"

Zuko nodded slowly as another piece to puzzle regarding his mother's silence fell into place. It was unheard of for a member of the royal line not to be born a bender. Every generation of Fire Lord since the earliest time of his ancestors had been a bender, and so had their children. Ozai never would have tolerated a non-bender in the family. He was impatient enough with Zuko, who had been slow to blossom, so Zuko could only imagine how he would have treated someone like Oku. And even without Ozai in power, Oku's non-bending would call her lineage into question. No bending, no real proof that Oku was Ozai's daughter and not Ursa's child by another man.

Even with her banishment, Ursa taking another lover and returning to the Fire Nation would have caused Agni knows what kind of whisperings and rumors. It would have called his mother's virtue during marriage into question. As Fire Lord, Zuko would have had a tough decision to make. If he acknowledged Oku as a princess, he risked losing the support of elders on his council. But if he didn't, he risked losing his mother all over again and condemning her to the life of a pariah.

Such thoughts made his spirits sink for a moment before he shook it off and called on the resolve that had seen him through the darkest years of his banishment.

"I'll teach you," he said, "In fact, we'll start right now. Take a deep breath."

Oku wrinkled her nose. "Why?"

"Because fire bending comes from the breath." Zuko demonstrated by inhaling deeply through his nose and exhaling with a rush out his mouth.

Oku still didn't look convinced. "What about the sun?" she asked.

"The sun gives us energy. But the power to use that energy comes from the breath."

Oku was contemplating this information when Katara appeared in the doorway.

"Good morning you two. Would you like some breakfast?"

"In a moment." Zuko kept his eyes on Oku, who inhaled a hesitant breath before letting it out again.

"Good." Zuko nodded at the girl. To Katara, he said, "We're just doing some breathing exercises. We'll be right out."

"No problem."

Katara left, letting the koala-seal skin fall back in front of the portal. Zuko had Oku practice several more deep, energy-focusing breaths before finally getting up and going with her to the common area, where his birth mother and his adoptive family were gathered around a low table. An array of Water Tribe and Fire Nation dishes were set out, including soup, rice and something with cilantro and paprika. Zuko could smell the spices, and they were making his mouth water.

"Is that spiced chickenpork?" he asked.

"It's actually spiced buffalo-yak," Ursa said, "But I made it with Cook Dao's chickenpork recipe."

"You know Cook Dao's chickenpork recipe?"

Ursa laughed as he seated himself to her right. "I created Cook Dao's chickenpork recipe. Back before you and Azula were born, I actually spent a lot of time in the kitchens. Cook Dao was one of my closest friends and confidantes those first few years after my marriage to your father." She pinched some of the contents of the chickenpork dish onto his plate. Zuko picked up his chopsticks and took a mouthful.

"It's just as good as I remember," he said after swallowing, "Even with the different meat. Thank you for this."

"You're welcome. Would you like some soup?"

"Please."

It was the best meal he'd had in weeks. No, in years, because it was the first time he'd sat down and enjoyed food without the burden of being Fire Lord, and without the never-ending, nagging sense of loneliness that dogged his every step since his coronation. It was the first time in a long time that he felt whole. Happy.

Loved.

And when Katara came and asked him if he'd like to help her with the dishes, it never even occurred to him to refuse.

"You look refreshed this morning," she said as they brought the dish basin out back. It was cold, but quite sunny, and Katara gathered some snow, melting it down and pouring it over the dirty breakfast plates. "You must have slept well."

"I did," Zuko said. "I didn't think I would, but I guess I was more tired than I thought."

"I heard you talking to your mom last night." Katara looked a little embarrassed as she stooped to dip her hands into the basin. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I just...Sokka snores and I was awake a lot later than I thought I'd be."

"It's all right." Zuko stayed her, taking a second to heat the water before Katara chilled her fingers. The waterbender looked surprised for a moment, but then cast him a grateful smile as she began scrubbing.

He took the first clean dish from her hand.

"It makes sense that you were angry," she said as she worked. "I'd be angry, too. I mean, _was_ angry, and there was no chance of me getting my mother back. It seemed odd to feel that way because I loved my mother, and I know she died trying to protect me. What right did I have to be angry? But I guess in the end, it still felt like she abandoned me. And I know you never said that outright, but I could guess that's probably how you felt, too."

"Yeah." Zuko said. He set a teacup down in the clean stack and looked over. "I feel selfish though, for thinking that. It's like you said. She did it to protect me."

"I don't think it's selfish." Katara wiped her hands on her parka and bent more melted snow into the tub. "I think it's honest."

"Maybe. But it's still not really fair." He rubbed his drying cloth over the edges of a bowl. "And now I have a better idea of why she didn't come back. Oku might not be a bender."

"She told me," Katara said. "Is that bad?"

"It's not good." Zuko frowned. "I mean honestly, I don't care. She is my sister. She has every right to be a princess if she chooses. But the country cares. And my father would have _definitely_ cared. It just makes things more complicated. I have a lot of thinking to do before I bring them back home. I mean...I can make it work it's just..." He sighed, shaking his head. "It's just complicated."

Katara made a motion like she was about to speak when the door curtain fluttered and Sokka appeared in the yard.

"Hey guys," he said. "A messenger just came. Arnook wants to see me, so I'm going to head down to the plaza."

"Oh. Ok." Katara smiled. "Tell him I said hello."

"I'll do that." He turned to Zuko. "I shouldn't be long. Wanna meet up later, Sparky? Have some manly bonding time?"

"Doing what exactly?"

"I dunno. Grab a cup of arctic brandy-wine? Chat up some cute water tribe girls?" Sokka flashed the trademark Sokka grin and Zuko chuckled.

"What about me?" Katara cut in. "_I'm_ not allowed to come?"

"You're not a man," Sokka responded. "I said _manly_ bonding time."

"I can kick butt like a man," Katara stated, "and if I remember correctly I did a whole lot better handling arctic brandy-wine than you did at Dad's birthday party last year."

"You also have the Fire Lord doing dishes. You're emasculating him before my very eyes, so no, you may not come to manly bonding time!"

Zuko looked over at Katara. "Did he just use the word 'emasculate'?"

"Unfortunately." Katara drew a long tendril of water out of the tub and spiraled it into her hand. She looked over at Sokka. "It's good to see being at the North Pole has brought out your better qualities once again," she quipped. "But fine. I'll stay here. Maybe I'll help Oku find her spiritual center so that she can start to learn fire bending."

"You don't have to..." Zuko began, but Sokka cut him off.

"Thank you, little sister. You're so understanding."

"Yeah. Whatever," Katara snorted. She turned back to the basin, ready to finish off the last of the dishes. Sokka smiled smugly and gave Zuko's shoulder a friendly shove before making his way across the little back yard, exiting through the back gate and into the street.

Zuko turned back to Katara.

"I'm curious," he said, "What happened at your father's birthday party?"

"Sokka went polar-puma," Katara said. "It wasn't pretty."

"Polar-puma?"

"That's what we call skinny dipping before the spring equinox."

"Wait, _what_?"

Katara laughed and bent the dirty water out of the tub as Zuko took the final dish. "It actually happens quite often during celebrations. Except for Sokka was so drunk, he didn't think to get out before he started to get hypothermia. I had to literally bend him into the hut and wrap him in skins."

"Hypothermia..." The very idea was terrifying. "And you say this is a _normal_ occurrence during Water Tribe celebrations?"

"Sometimes. It's mostly birthdays. A way for the men of the tribe to 'prove' they're still brave and fearless warriors despite aging another year."

"Men. So _you've_ never done it."

Katara looked up and gave him a coy smile. "I didn't say _that_," she teased, "I just meant that most often, it's the men. But sometimes we girls will get in on the fun."

She stacked up the clean dishes and picked up the empty basin, turning for the house with an almost inaudible giggle. Zuko tightened his grip on his drying cloth.

Not because he was thinking about that visual.

Because he wasn't.

Really.


	15. Interlude: Brandywine and Arctic Stars

Contrary to his initial reluctance, Zuko wound up accepting the offer to meet Sokka at the plaza, a decision which resulted in him being guided tipsily back to Ursa's at a very, very late hour.

"We can't wake up Mom," Zuko murmured, leaning heavily on Sokka's shoulder. "She's gotta get up early 'n it wouldn't be nice."

"Oh yeah?" He missed Sokka's grin as the other man reached to pull back the portal curtain. "You're always so thoughtful, Sparky."

"N't call me Sparky!" Zuko tried to sound indignant, but even to his own ears the words were nothing more than a slur. "'S not manly."

Sokka simply chuckled. "Ohhh, _now_ you're worried about manly," he said, "dish boy."

With Sokka's help, Zuko made it through the doorway and into the living area.

"So what if I do dishes," Zuko said. "What's wrong with being helpful? It's good to be helpful. I...I should be _more_ helpful!"

"Easy Prince Poutypants," Sokka said as he pulled a teakettle from a stack of cooking pans. "I'm not insulting you. It's called teasing."

Zuko's brandy-wine-fogged brain took a moment to process this.

"Teasing?" he said.

"Yes," Sokka said. "Teasing. Like I've been doing all along since I decided to stop disliking you three years ago. Teasing you. Because you make it so easy." Sokka dug some tealeaves out of the herb basket. "Do you think you can light a fire without melting the house down? You need to sober up."

Yet another subject change. Zuko's brain grudgingly shifted gears in an attempt to keep up.

"Sure," he muttered. "Uh...stand back."

Sokka stepped aside. In a feat of concentration rivaled only by those displayed in his earliest days of fire bending, Zuko focused his energy and shot a tiny flame from his fingertips to the fire's logs.

"There," he said as it jumped to life. "How's that?"

"That's just great," Sokka said, and set about brewing tea. Zuko watched him and tried not to yawn.

"Since when do you make tea?" he asked at length. The room was slowly warming and that was making him sleepy.

"Since Order training. It's part of Iroh's program." Sokka sat down next to him as they waited for the kettle to steam. "You're yawning."

"'M tired."

"Yeah, the brandy-wine hangover will do that to ya."

Zuko nodded, then turned quizzical eyes in Sokka's direction. "How come you're not yawning?"

"I've had a little bit more practice drinking arctic brandy-wine than you have."

"So you're not...feeling anything?"

Sokka shrugged. "I am, I'm just better at hiding it than you are."

"Katara said the first time you drank it, she had to bend you out of the ocean."

"Oh, you mean the polar puma thing?" Sokka rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh. Yeah, I got a little carried away that night."

"Di...did she ever do that?" The question was out of his mouth before he could stop it and Sokka was turning to him, looking awkwardly uncomfortable.

"Did she ever do what?" he asked.

"P..polar...pumaing," Zuko replied. "Did she...you know?"

"Zuko..." Sokka got up, heading over to the fire to pull the teakettle. He fished out two cups and poured before returning to the floor and the question. "Um...no offense man, but I don't know if I'm comfortable talking to you about whether or not my sister has ever jumped in the ocean naked."

Zuko felt himself blush to the roots of his hair. "Right, that's...not something we should be discussing. I'm sorry."

"It's just weird," Sokka said. "I mean, I get it, but it's weird."

"Yeah. Very."

"It would be like me asking you if Azula..."

"OKAY." Zuko held up his hand, not wanting Sokka to _ever_ finish that sentence. "Okay. Naked sisters are off-limits. Deal?"

"Yeah." Sokka took a sip of tea and then looked back at Zuko. "You like her though, don't you?"

Zuko cupped his hands around his tea and said nothing.


End file.
